VO2 Max Estimator
Estimate your VO2 max — the standard measure of cardiorespiratory fitness — from your resting heart rate, or from a twelve-minute run.
Estimated VO2 max
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ml/kg/min
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Where that sits
- Poor—
- Fair—
- Good—
- Excellent—
- Superior—
How this is worked out
The resting-heart-rate method uses the Uth-Sørensen-Overgaard-Pedersen ratio, 15.3 × (max HR / resting HR). It is the cheapest estimate available and the weakest: it reads one ratio, so a resting rate taken after coffee moves the answer further than a month of training does. Measure first thing, before getting out of bed.
The Cooper test is a real field test — run as far as you can in twelve minutes, then (metres − 504.9) / 44.73. It is harder and much better, because it measures what you can actually do rather than inferring it.
The five tiers are the same ones Beacon shows on its own VO2 max meter, standardised for your age band and sex. They are approximate — every published fitness table is — but they are the table the app uses, so the site and the app will not tell you two different things.
Frequently asked
What is VO2 max?
The most oxygen your body can take in and use during hard exercise, in millilitres per kilogram per minute. It is the most-studied single number in fitness, and it tracks with endurance performance and with long-term health.
How accurate are these estimates?
Neither is a lab test. The resting-heart-rate method is a single ratio and moves with anything that moves your pulse, so treat it as a wide bracket. The Cooper test is a real effort and much more informative, but it depends on pacing it properly and on running somewhere flat.
How do I improve it?
A mix of easy aerobic volume and a small amount of hard interval work is the combination with the most evidence behind it. Improvements are measured in months, so do not re-test weekly.
Where do the fitness tiers come from?
They are the age-banded and sex-standardised tiers Beacon shows on its own VO2 max meter. They are approximate, as all published fitness norms are, but using the same table means the site and the app place you in the same tier.
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- Daily calorie burn, and what to eat for each goal.TDEE Calculator
- Five zones in bpm, by percent of max or Karvonen.Heart Rate Zone Calculator
- Where your one-rep max sits, beginner to elite.Strength Level Calculator
- What your bench says about your squat and deadlift.Lift Comparison Calculator
- Bedtimes and wake times, aligned to 90-minute cycles.Sleep Calculator