How to Calculate Vo2max

VO2max is a measure of your capacity for aerobic work and, thus, can be a predictor of your potential as an endurance athlete. Of course, there are other factors that come into play: your training, your genes, your body weight, your muscle volume, etc. Your age is also a factor, as most people see a decline of 1% a year in VO2max after age 50. Still, VO2max is a commonly accepted measure of cardio respiratory fitness.

Technically, VO2max stands for maximal oxygen uptake and refers to the amount of oxygen your body is capable of utilizing in one minute. The units are: ml O2/kg-min—meaning milliliters of oxygen per kilogram of body weight per minute. Accurate measurement of VO2max generally requires the collection and analysis of inhaled and exhaled gases during exercise to exhaustion. This is usually done in a lab, and always under the supervision of professionals. Unfortunately, this kind of testing is not widely available to the general public.

Thanks to the work of Dr. Fritz Hagerman of Ohio University, it is now possible to get a very good estimation of your VO2max simply by rowing your best 2000 meter piece on the Concept2 Indoor Rower! Using your 2000 meter time, combined with your weight, age and gender, you can calculate your VO2max to within 1.0-1.5% error factor. Dr. Hagerman’s work is based on thousands of data points collected over his many years of doing lab VO2max tests using the indoor rower.

These aerobic fitness classifications are based on relative VO2 (ml/(kg*min)) and are taken from Essentials of Exercise Physiology, 3rd ed., W. D. McArdle, F.I. Katch, V. L. Katch, Lippincott Williams and Wilkins, Philadelphia, PA USA 2006, p.453

Cardiovascular Fitness Calculations Based on VO2max (mL*kg-1*min-1)
Gender	Age	Poor	Fair	Average	Good	Excellent
Men	<=29	<=24.9	25-33.9	34-43.9	44-52.9	>=53
	30-39	<=22.9	23-30.9	31-41.9	42-49.9	>=50
	40-49	<=19.9	20-26.9	27-38.9	39-44.9	>=45
	50-59	<=17.9	18-24.9	25-37.9	38-42.9	>=43
	60-69	<=15.9	16-22.9	23-35.9	36-40.9	>=41
Women	<=29	<=23.9	24-30.9	31-38.9	39-48.9	>=49
	30-39	<=19.9	20-27.9	28-36.9	37-44.9	>=45
	40-49	<=16.9	17-24.9	25-34.9	35-41.9	>=42
	50-59	<=14.9	15-21.9	22-33.9	34-39.9	>=40
	60-69	<=12.9	13-20.9	21-32.9	33-36.9	>=37

 source