An easy way to determine your VO₂ max

Using statistical techniques, Brigham Young University scientists used the heart rates, body weights, and one-mile jog times of 54 students to create a simple mathematical equation for VO2max. They then checked the predictive power of the equation by using it to forecast the VO₂ max of another 52 runners involved in the study. When these predicted VO₂ max values were compared with the runners' real VO₂ max, the equation was determined to be remarkably accurate. The equation will be most accurate for athletes aged 18 to 29, but older athletes can still use the formula to monitor gains in fitness and get a ballpark figure for their VO2max.

Here is what to do:

Warm up by jogging for a couple of minutes.
Jog one mile at a leisurely, steady pace, making sure that you take longer (yes, longer) than eight minutes (males), or more than nine minutes (females).
Record how long it takes you to jog one mile.
Record your heart rate immediately at the end of the mile.

To estimate your VO₂ max, you will require your:

Weight in kilograms (W).
The time it took you to run one mile in decimal format (T).
Heart Rate at the end of the run (H).

Male Athletes

VO₂ max = 108.844 - 0.1636W - 1.438T - 0.1928H

Female Athletes

VO₂ max = 100.5 - 0.1636W - 1.438T - 0.1928H

Example

Kathy is a female runner.
Weight (W) = 63.2 kgs
Time (T) for the 1-mile run was 10 minutes 15 seconds = 10.25
Heart rate (H) at the end of the run was 132bpm

Kathy's VO₂ max = 100.5 - (0.1636 x 63.2) - (1.438 x 10.25) - (0.1928 x 132)
= 100.5 - 10.34 - 14.74 - 25. 45
= 49.97 ml/kg/min

Article Reference

This article first appeared in:

MACKENZIE, B. (2004). An easy way to determine your VO₂ max. Brian Mackenzie's Successful Coaching, (ISSN 1745-7513/ 9 / February), p. 14

Page Reference

If you quote information from this page in your work, then the reference for this page is:

MACKENZIE, B. (2004). An easy way to determine your VO₂ max [WWW] Available from: https://www.brianmac.co.uk/articles/scni9a10.htm [Accessed

About the Author

Brian Mackenzie was a highly respected British Athletics Level 4 performance coach, as well as an accredited Coach Tutor and Coach Assessor. With over 30 years of coaching experience, he specialised in the development of sprint, middle-distance, and combined events athletes. His expertise extended across all levels of competition, fostering performance and progression in both emerging and elite athletes. Complementing his coaching credentials, Brian was also a dedicated ultra-distance endurance athlete, competing for more than 45 years and bringing a deep personal understanding of athletic performance to his coaching practice.


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They then checked the predictive power of the equation by using it to forecast the VO₂ max of another 52 runners involved in the study. When these predicted VO₂ max values were compared with the runners' real VO₂ max, the equation was determined to be remarkably accurate. The equation will be most accurate for athletes aged 18 to 29, but older athletes can still use the formula to monitor gains in fitness and get a ballpark figure for their VO2max. Here is what to do: Warm up by jogging for a couple of minutes. Jog one mile at a leisurely, steady pace, making sure that you take longer (yes, longer) than eight minutes (males), or more than nine minutes (females). Record how long it takes you to jog one mile. Record your heart rate immediately at the end of the mile. To estimate your VO₂ max, you will require your: Weight in kilograms (W). The time it took you to run one mile in decimal format (T). Heart Rate at the end of the run (H). Male Athletes VO₂ max = 108.844 - 0.1636W - 1.438T - 0.1928H Female Athletes VO₂ max = 100.5 - 0.1636W - 1.438T - 0.1928H Example Kathy is a female runner. Weight (W) = 63.2 kgs Time (T) for the 1-mile run was 10 minutes 15 seconds = 10.25 Heart rate (H) at the end of the run was 132bpm Kathy's VO₂ max = 100.5 - (0.1636 x 63.2) - (1.438 x 10.25) - (0.1928 x 132) = 100.5 - 10.34 - 14.74 - 25. 45 = 49.97 ml/kg/min Article Reference This article first appeared in: MACKENZIE, B. (2004). An easy way to determine your VO₂ max. Brian Mackenzie's Successful Coaching, (ISSN 1745-7513/ 9 / February), p. 14 Page Reference If you quote information from this page in your work, then the reference for this page is: MACKENZIE, B. (2004). An easy way to determine your VO₂ max [WWW] Available from: https://www.brianmac.co.uk/articles/scni9a10.htm [Accessed About the Author Brian Mackenzie was a highly respected British Athletics Level 4 performance coach, as well as an accredited Coach Tutor and Coach Assessor. With over 30 years of coaching experience, he specialised in the development of sprint, middle-distance, and combined events athletes. His expertise extended across all levels of competition, fostering performance and progression in both emerging and elite athletes. Complementing his coaching credentials, Brian was also a dedicated ultra-distance endurance athlete, competing for more than 45 years and bringing a deep personal understanding of athletic performance to his coaching practice.

An easy way to determine your VO2 max