A good VO2 max depends on your age and sex, but as a general benchmark, scoring above the 75th percentile for your demographic puts you in the “good” category. For a 30- to 39-year-old man, that means roughly 35 mL/kg/min or higher. For a woman in the same age range, it’s about 25 mL/kg/min or higher. These numbers drop naturally with age, so what counts as “good” at 25 looks very different from what counts as “good” at 60.
What VO2 Max Actually Measures
VO2 max is the maximum amount of oxygen your body can use during intense exercise, expressed in milliliters of oxygen per kilogram of body weight per minute (mL/kg/min). It reflects how well your heart pumps blood, how efficiently your lungs exchange gases, and how effectively your muscles extract oxygen from your bloodstream. A higher number means your cardiovascular system can deliver and use more oxygen, which translates to better endurance and, importantly, better long-term health outcomes.
Two factors drive the number. The first is cardiac output, how much blood your heart pushes out per minute. The second is how much oxygen your muscles pull from that blood as it passes through. Research consistently shows that improvements in VO2 max come primarily from increases in cardiac output, specifically from a heart that fills with more blood between beats and pumps it out more forcefully. This is why endurance training, which directly strengthens the heart, is the most reliable way to raise your score.
VO2 Max Ranges for Men by Age
The table below shows VO2 max values in mL/kg/min for men. The 50th percentile is the median, meaning half the population scores above and half below. Scoring at the 75th percentile or above is generally classified as “good,” while the 90th and above is “excellent.”
- Ages 20 to 29: Median is 42.0. Good starts around 49.5. Excellent is 55.5 or above.
- Ages 30 to 39: Median is 30.1. Good starts around 35.0. Excellent is 41.7 or above.
- Ages 40 to 49: Median is 27.0. Good starts around 31.8. Excellent is 37.1 or above.
- Ages 50 to 59: Median is 24.9. Good starts around 29.3. Excellent is 34.0 or above.
- Ages 60 to 69: Median is 22.4. Good starts around 25.5. Excellent is 29.9 or above.
Below the 35th percentile is classified as “poor,” and below the 15th percentile is “very poor.” A 50-year-old man scoring under 23.1, for example, falls into that poor range and would benefit significantly from structured aerobic exercise.
VO2 Max Ranges for Women by Age
Women have lower VO2 max values on average, largely because of differences in body composition, heart size, and hemoglobin levels. The same percentile classifications apply.
- Ages 20 to 29: Median is 31.2. Good starts around 37.1. Excellent is 42.6 or above.
- Ages 30 to 39: Median is 21.7. Good starts around 25.1. Excellent is 30.0 or above.
- Ages 40 to 49: Median is 19.3. Good starts around 22.6. Excellent is 26.2 or above.
- Ages 50 to 59: Median is 17.2. Good starts around 20.1. Excellent is 22.6 or above.
- Ages 60 to 69: Median is 16.1. Good starts around 18.3. Excellent is 20.5 or above.
Why VO2 Max Matters for Longevity
VO2 max isn’t just an athletic metric. The American Heart Association has called for cardiorespiratory fitness to be treated as a clinical vital sign, on par with blood pressure and heart rate. The data behind that recommendation is striking: adults with a fitness level below 5 METs (roughly equivalent to a VO2 max of about 17.5 mL/kg/min) face more than four times the risk of dying from any cause compared to the most fit individuals.
The encouraging part is that you don’t need to become an elite athlete to see benefits. More than half of the reduction in mortality risk comes from simply moving out of the least-fit category into the next one up. That jump, from sedentary to moderately active, corresponds to a VO2 max increase of just a few mL/kg/min. Reaching 8 to 10 METs (roughly 28 to 35 mL/kg/min) is associated with significantly improved survival. For most people, that level is achievable with consistent aerobic training.
How Elite Athletes Compare
Elite endurance athletes occupy an entirely different tier. World-class cross-country skiers, who consistently record the highest values in sport, typically have VO2 max scores between 80 and 90 mL/kg/min for men and 70 to 80 for women. The highest value ever recorded in a man is 96 mL/kg/min, while the women’s record sits at 80. These athletes achieve such numbers through years of high-volume training combined with favorable genetics, particularly hearts that are larger and more elastic than average, allowing them to pump significantly more blood per beat.
For context, a recreational runner who trains consistently might land somewhere between 45 and 55 mL/kg/min. You don’t need to chase elite numbers to be in excellent cardiovascular health.
How VO2 Max Is Tested
The gold standard is a graded exercise test on a treadmill or stationary bike while wearing a mask connected to a metabolic cart, a device that measures exactly how much oxygen you inhale and how much carbon dioxide you exhale. The most common protocol, known as the Bruce protocol, increases the treadmill’s speed and incline every three minutes until you physically can’t continue. Your VO2 max is the point at which your oxygen consumption plateaus despite increasing effort.
These tests are available at sports performance labs, some hospitals, and university exercise science departments. They typically cost between $100 and $250 and take about 15 to 20 minutes of actual exercise time.
How Accurate Are Smartwatch Estimates
Most modern fitness watches from Apple, Garmin, and others provide a VO2 max estimate based on your heart rate and pace during outdoor workouts. These estimates are convenient but imperfect. A 2024 study on the Apple Watch Series 10 found an average error of about 6.8 mL/kg/min compared to lab testing, which works out to roughly 13% off in either direction. That means if your watch says 40, your true value could be anywhere from about 33 to 47.
Watch estimates are most useful for tracking trends over time rather than treating any single reading as precise. If your number climbs steadily over months of training, your fitness is genuinely improving, even if the absolute value isn’t perfectly calibrated. If you want a number you can trust, a lab test is the only reliable option.
How to Improve Your Score
VO2 max responds predictably to training. Untrained individuals can see improvements of 15 to 20% within a few months of consistent aerobic work. The two most effective approaches are high-intensity interval training and sustained threshold efforts.
Interval training involves alternating between hard efforts (85 to 95% of your max heart rate) and recovery periods. A common protocol is four minutes hard, three minutes easy, repeated four to five times. Two to three sessions per week, combined with easier aerobic base work on other days, is enough to drive meaningful gains. Steady-state runs, cycling, swimming, or rowing at a pace where you can barely hold a conversation also contribute, though the biggest jumps tend to come from the interval work.
Consistency matters more than intensity on any single day. People who maintain regular aerobic exercise over years can partially offset the natural age-related decline, which averages roughly 1% per year after age 25. A fit 60-year-old can realistically maintain a VO2 max that matches or exceeds the average 30-year-old’s.