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VO2 Max by Age: Charts for Men and Women and What Counts as Good

VO2 max charts by age for men and women from the FRIEND registry, with the median and percentile values for each decade, the average VO2 max, and what a good VO2 max means for long-term health.

Published

October 30, 2026

Read time

10 min read

Medically reviewed by

Rhonda Collins, FNP-C

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Summarize with AI

A good VO2 max is one above the median, the 50th percentile, for your age and sex. In the US FRIEND registry of measured treadmill tests, the median VO2 max is 48.0 mL/kg/min for men aged 20 to 29 and 37.6 for women aged 20 to 29. It falls to 32.6 for men and 23.4 for women aged 50 to 59, and to 24.4 and 18.3 at ages 70 to 79 ^[1]. A value at the 75th percentile or higher puts you among the fittest quarter of people your age and sex.

VO2 max is the most oxygen your body can take in and use during all-out exercise. It is reported in milliliters of oxygen per kilogram of body weight per minute (mL/kg/min). Because it drops with age and is higher in men, a raw number only means something next to people of your own age and sex.

VO2 max chart for men

The table shows the VO2 max at each percentile for men by decade. The 50th percentile is the median: half of men that age score higher. Values come from the Fitness Registry and the Importance of Exercise National Database (FRIEND) 2015 reference standards ^[1].

VO2 max by age for men (FRIEND 2015, mL/kg/min, measured on a treadmill). Rows are percentiles, and columns are age by decade, so 20s means ages 20 to 29.

Source: Kaminsky et al., Mayo Clinic Proceedings, 2015, Table 3 ^[1]. Test mode: maximal treadmill cardiopulmonary exercise tests with breath gas analysis. Population: 4,611 tests on US men aged 20 to 79 without known heart disease or COPD, from 8 laboratories in 8 states, 2014 to 2015.

VO2 max chart for women

The table shows the VO2 max at each percentile for women by decade, from the same FRIEND 2015 reference standards ^[1]. The 50th percentile is the median for women that age.

VO2 max by age for women (FRIEND 2015, mL/kg/min, measured on a treadmill). Rows are percentiles, and columns are age by decade, so 20s means ages 20 to 29.

Source: Kaminsky et al., Mayo Clinic Proceedings, 2015, Table 3 ^[1]. Test mode: maximal treadmill cardiopulmonary exercise tests with breath gas analysis. Population: 3,172 tests on US women aged 20 to 79 without known heart disease or COPD, from 8 laboratories in 8 states, 2014 to 2015.

Your watch guesses, a lab measures your real percentile

The numbers in these charts were measured in a lab, from the air you breathe in and out during an all-out effort. A smartwatch VO2 max is an estimate from your heart rate and pace, so it can land you in the wrong row. In a 2026 study of 40 healthy adults who did a lab treadmill test and then used an Apple Watch Series 10, the watch read about 6 mL/kg/min low on average. It placed only 5 participants (14%) in the same FRIEND percentile band as their lab result ^[2].

The Mito VO2 Max Test measures your VO2 max from your breath at a partner center near you, and your report compares the result with people of your age and sex. That is the number these charts are built for.

Average VO2 max by age

The average VO2 max in FRIEND was 37.9 mL/kg/min for men and 27.6 for women across ages 20 to 79 ^[1]. By decade, the means are close to the medians in the charts above.

Average (mean) VO2 max by age (FRIEND 2015, mL/kg/min, treadmill). 20s means ages 20 to 29.

Source: Kaminsky et al., Mayo Clinic Proceedings, 2015, Table 2 ^[1]. Same treadmill tests and population as the charts above.

Average is not the same as healthy. FRIEND reflects US adults who came in for a fitness test, and the authors note that some had conditions such as diabetes or obesity ^[1]. When the same authors compared FRIEND with two Norwegian studies that also measured VO2 max, Norwegian men and women had higher averages at every age ^[1].

What is a good VO2 max?

There is no single official cutoff for a good VO2 max. A practical way to read your percentile:

• Below the 25th percentile: low for your age and sex.
• 25th to 49th percentile: below average.
• 50th to 74th percentile: above average. This is the simplest meaning of a good VO2 max.
• 75th percentile and higher: high. Most people in this band train regularly.

These bands match the groups used in a Cleveland Clinic study of 122,007 adults, which called the top 2.3% for age and sex elite ^[3]. For example, a 45-year-old man needs a VO2 max above 37.8 mL/kg/min to be above the FRIEND median and 45.0 or more to reach the 75th percentile. A 45-year-old woman needs above 26.7 and 32.4 ^[1].

How to read your VO2 max number

Check three things before you find your row in the charts:

• The unit. The charts use mL/kg/min, which divides your oxygen use by your body weight. Some reports also show absolute VO2 max in liters per minute, which is not comparable with these tables. Because body weight is in the formula, two people with the same heart and lungs can score differently if one carries more weight. A DEXA body composition scan shows how much of your weight is lean mass and how much is fat.
• The test mode. FRIEND 2015 is from treadmill tests. In the updated FRIEND standards, VO2 max was higher on a treadmill than on a bike at every age, so compare a bike result with a bike reference ^[4].
• Measured or estimated. A lab test with breath analysis measures VO2 max. Watches, apps and field tests such as a timed run estimate it from heart rate, pace or distance, and the estimate can sit a full percentile band or more away from your measured value ^[2].

The 2022 FRIEND update pooled 22,379 tests from 34 US laboratories. Its treadmill values are 1.5 to 4.6 mL/kg/min lower than the 2015 standards on this page ^[4], so the same result can rank a little higher against the 2022 reference. If your report names a reference, compare like with like.

Why VO2 max declines with age

VO2 max falls with age in both men and women. In FRIEND, the median dropped by about 10% per decade from the 20s to the 70s: 9.2% per decade for men and 10.3% for women ^[1]. A long-term study that retested the same healthy adults found the decline is not steady. It was about 3% to 6% per decade in people in their 20s and 30s, and more than 20% per decade from the 70s on, at every level of self-reported physical activity ^[5].

Part of the drop comes from a lower maximum heart rate with age, and part from less oxygen delivered with each heartbeat ^[5]. Training changes where you start from and how high you sit in your age group. For what the research shows about raising it, read our guide to raising your VO2 max at any age. For training intensity, see our zone 2 heart rate guide.

What VO2 max is associated with

Higher fitness for your age goes with lower mortality in large studies. In the Cleveland Clinic study, 122,007 adults referred for a treadmill test were followed for a median of 8.4 years ^[3]:

• People in the lowest quarter for their age and sex had about 5 times the adjusted risk of death of the elite group.
• People below the median had about 41% higher adjusted risk of death than people just above it.
• That gap was similar in size to the gap linked with smoking (41%) or diabetes (40%) in the same study.

These are associations, not proof that raising your VO2 max will lengthen your life. Fitness in that study was estimated from treadmill performance rather than measured from breath, and the people in it had been referred for testing by their doctors ^[3]. The findings show fitness and survival moving together, which is why it is useful to know where your own number sits.

Measure your VO2 max with Mito

The Mito VO2 Max Test measures your VO2 max from your breath on a treadmill or bike at a partner center near you. You enter your ZIP code to find a center, answer a one-minute safety check before you pay, and see your report in your Mito dashboard, usually within 24 hours. The report places your VO2 max against people of your age and sex, and adds your training zones and measured maximum heart rate. It is a fitness test, not a cardiac stress test.

To see what the test includes, read the VO2 Max Test announcement. To compare where you can test and what each option costs, see VO2 max testing near me and what it costs.

References

1. Kaminsky LA, et al. Reference Standards for Cardiorespiratory Fitness Measured With Cardiopulmonary Exercise Testing: Data From the Fitness Registry and the Importance of Exercise National Database. Mayo Clin Proc. 2015;90(11):1515-1523. PMC4919021
2. Lambe R, et al. Accuracy of VO2 max Estimates From Apple Watch Series 10. Mayo Clin Proc Digit Health. 2026;4(2):100357.
3. Mandsager K, et al. Association of Cardiorespiratory Fitness With Long-term Mortality Among Adults Undergoing Exercise Treadmill Testing. JAMA Netw Open. 2018;1(6):e183605.
4. Kaminsky LA, et al. Updated Reference Standards for Cardiorespiratory Fitness Measured with Cardiopulmonary Exercise Testing: Data from the Fitness Registry and the Importance of Exercise National Database (FRIEND). Mayo Clin Proc. 2022;97(2):285-293.
5. Fleg JL, et al. Accelerated longitudinal decline of aerobic capacity in healthy older adults. Circulation. 2005;112(5):674-682.

Frequently asked questions

Is a VO2 max of 40 good?

It depends on your age and sex. For a man aged 40 to 49, 40 mL/kg/min is above the FRIEND median of 37.8 and below the 75th percentile of 45.0. For a woman aged 40 to 49, 40 is above the 90th percentile of 38.4.

What is an elite VO2 max?

There is no official cutoff. The Cleveland Clinic mortality study called the top 2.3% for age and sex elite. In FRIEND, the 95th percentile is 66.3 mL/kg/min for men aged 20 to 29 and 56.0 for women aged 20 to 29, falling to 39.7 and 24.1 at ages 70 to 79.

Why do women have a lower VO2 max than men?

In FRIEND, women's VO2 max averaged about 27% lower than men's. The gap was about 10 mL/kg/min in the 20s and narrowed to about 7.5 mL/kg/min in the 70s, because men's values fell faster with age. That is why each sex has its own chart.

What is a normal VO2 max for a 50-year-old?

In FRIEND, the median VO2 max for ages 50 to 59 is 32.6 mL/kg/min for men and 23.4 for women. Half of people that age score above those values and half score below.

Are there VO2 max norms for people over 80?

Not in the 2015 FRIEND standards used on this page, which cover ages 20 to 79. The 2022 FRIEND update extends its reference values to age 89.

Can I compare a bike test result with these charts?

Only roughly. These charts come from treadmill tests, and VO2 max measured on a bike is usually lower than on a treadmill, so a bike result can place you in a lower percentile than you would reach on a treadmill.