VO2 max calculator
Enter your 12-minute run distance, estimate your VO2 max.
How do I estimate VO2 max with the Cooper test?
Run as far as you can in 12 minutes and measure the distance. VO2 max (mL/kg/min) ≈ (meters − 504.9) ÷ 44.73. Covering 2,400 m gives about 42.4.
What is VO2 max?
The most oxygen your body can use during hard exercise, per kilogram of body weight per minute — a common measure of aerobic fitness.
Where does the formula come from?
From Kenneth Cooper’s 1968 study in JAMA, which compared the 12-minute run with treadmill tests in Air Force men.
Can I enter miles?
Yes — pick miles or kilometers; the calculator converts to meters. 1.5 miles (2,414 m) gives about 42.7.
How accurate is it?
It is an estimate that depends on steady, all-out effort. A lab test measures VO2 max directly.
Worked example: 2,800 meters in 12 minutes, and the reverse
Subtract 504.9 from the distance: 2800 − 504.9 = 2295.1. Divide by 44.73: 2295.1 ÷ 44.73 = 51.3 mL/kg/min. That distance is 1.74 miles, or 2.8 km. To find the distance for a chosen estimate, turn the equation around: meters = VO2 max × 44.73 + 504.9, so an estimate of 45 needs 2518 m, about 1.56 miles, in the 12 minutes.
What does the number tell me?
VO2 max is a measure of cardiorespiratory fitness, and a 2016 American Heart Association scientific statement reviewed evidence that low fitness is associated with a higher risk of cardiovascular disease, all-cause mortality and some cancer deaths. The statement says fitness is potentially a stronger predictor of mortality than smoking, high blood pressure, high cholesterol or type 2 diabetes, and argues for treating it as a clinical vital sign. A single field-test estimate is rough, but changes over weeks of training are meaningful for the same person on the same course.
How do I get a reliable result from the test?
Use a flat, measured course, such as a standard 400 m track, and count laps with a partial lap measured at the end. Warm up first, run at the hardest pace you can hold for the full 12 minutes, and repeat under similar conditions. Wind, hills and a soft surface shorten the distance and so lower the estimate without any change in fitness. Because the equation uses distance only, two people who cover the same distance get the same estimate, whatever their body weight.
Common mistakes with the Cooper test estimate
Entering miles with the meters unit selected: 1.5 typed as 1.5 meters gives a negative value (-11.3), so the calculator shows no result. Confusing the 12-minute distance test with the 1.5-mile timed run; this calculator needs a distance covered in a fixed 12 minutes, not a time. Starting too fast and fading, which wastes distance. Comparing estimates from different courses or weather. Treating the figure as a laboratory measurement: the calculator gives an estimate, and anyone with a heart condition or symptoms should talk to a clinician before all-out exercise.
Sources and related calculators
Sources: K. H. Cooper, “A means of assessing maximal oxygen intake: correlation between field and treadmill testing,” JAMA 203 (1968) 201–204; R. Ross et al., “Importance of assessing cardiorespiratory fitness in clinical practice: a case for fitness as a clinical vital sign,” American Heart Association scientific statement, Circulation (2016). Related: heart rate reserve calculator, target heart rate calculator, pace calculator and race time predictor.
For general information only — not medical advice. Talk with your doctor or another health professional about your own health. How we check our calculators.