VO2 max calculator
VO2 max is the most oxygen your body can use per minute, the standard measure of aerobic fitness. You can estimate it from a field test rather than a lab. FitCalcs offers the Cooper test, the furthest you can run in 12 minutes, and the Rockport test, a brisk 1-mile walk with your pulse taken at the finish, which is kinder for beginners. Both estimate a lab VO2 max test. Do not run a maximal test without medical clearance if you have a heart condition. This is general information for fitness.
How this is worked out
VO2 max is the most oxygen your body can use per minute, in millilitres per kilogram per minute, and is the standard measure of aerobic fitness. FitCalcs offers two field tests:
Cooper: VO2max = (distance_m − 504.9) ÷ 44.73
Rockport: 132.853 − 0.0769 x weight_lb − 0.3877 x age + 6.315 x sex − 3.2649 x time_min − 0.1565 x HR
sex = 1 male, 0 female; weight in pounds
Cooper (1968) is a hard 12-minute run; Rockport is a brisk 1-mile walk with your pulse taken at the finish, kinder for beginners. Both are estimates of a lab VO2 max test.
Informational only. Do not run a maximal test if you have a heart condition without medical clearance. Editorially reviewed by FitCalcs, with each figure citing its source.
Calculators and Data Desk, FitCalcs
FitCalcs' editorial desk builds and documents the calculators, citing the underlying equation and the UK dataset behind every number. Health-related tools are editorially reviewed, with figures cited to named UK sources.
Last reviewed: 12 June 2026