🫁 VO2 Max Estimator

Run as far as you can in exactly 12 minutes (the Cooper test), then enter the distance covered to estimate your VO2 max. Estimate only, not a substitute for a lab test.

Distance Covered

Unit

The Cooper 12-minute equation

Whatever unit you choose is converted to metres, then run through the linear fit Kenneth Cooper published in 1968:

VO2 max = (metres in 12 min - 504.9) / 44.73
mi → m: distance × 1609.344     km → m: × 1000

1.5 miles is 2414 m, giving (2414 - 504.9) / 44.73 = 42.7 mL/kg/min. Every extra 100 m adds about 2.2 points, so a lap more on a 400 m track is worth roughly 9. Turn it around and a VO2 max of 50 needs 2741 m, or 1.70 miles.

Getting a usable result

Twelve minutes, flat out, evenly paced. Start too fast and walk the last three and you lose distance - the estimate follows distance, not effort.
Measure the course properly. A marked track beats a watch here; GPS error of 2% on 2400 m moves the answer by a full point.
Anything under 505 m returns an error, since the formula goes to zero and below at that distance.

The Superior-to-Very-Poor labels are one unisex scale with no age adjustment, so a 20-year-old and a 55-year-old scoring 42.7 both read Fair even though published norms treat those results very differently. It is an estimate from a field test, not a clinical measurement.

Frequently asked questions

What is a good VO2 max?

On this tool's scale 42 to 47 is Fair, 47 and up Good, 52 Excellent and 60 Superior. Real norms shift with age and sex, so check a table matching both.

How do I do the Cooper test?

Warm up, cover as much ground as you can in exactly 12 minutes on a flat measured course, then enter the distance. Repeating it later on the same course is the comparison worth making.

How accurate is the Cooper test?

It was fitted on young, fit military personnel and lands within a few points of a lab result for people like them. Over a few weeks, pacing skill and running economy move your distance more than fitness does.