Estimate VO₂ max from a 12-minute run

Estimate aerobic capacity from the distance completed in a 12-minute Cooper run.

freeworks offlinenothing uploaded
ToolVO2 Max Calculator
Input
Output
—
Put this on your own site

The frame below runs the same code as this page, in the reader's own browser. Nothing is sent to us, and nothing is sent to you.

Pick a dark background and the text and panels follow it, so the frame stays readable on a dark page.

Preview

How it works

Distance in metres is entered into Cooper's field-test equation: subtract 504.9, then divide by 44.73 to estimate millilitres of oxygen per kilogram per minute. The result is an estimate from one timed field test, not a laboratory measurement or an age-based diagnosis.

Formula
estimated VO₂ max = (distance in metres − 504.9) ÷ 44.73
  • No age, sex, pace, or rating default is added because the distance equation uses only the measured 12-minute result.

Worked example

2,800 metres in a 12-minute run
Apply Cooper's distance equation without demographic rating bands
Input
											2800
Output
												VO2 max ml per kg per min: 51.3
Method used: Cooper 12-minute run test

When to use this

Track fitness tests, coaching progress checks, and non-laboratory exercise studies use a measured 12-minute distance.

Edge cases

  • A distance recorded over 10 or 15 minutes cannot be substituted into the 12-minute equation.
  • A result at or below 504.9 metres is rejected because it produces a non-positive estimate.
  • Heat, altitude, surface, and pacing can change repeat field-test results without changing laboratory oxygen uptake.

References