VO₂ max estimates your maximum aerobic energy production. This dataset summarizes common age- and gender-specific thresholds used to classify fitness from Poor through Excellent. To improve interpretability, we map these ranges against external clinical and exercise-physiology references so you can see whether your score aligns with commonly cited norms.

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What this dataset shows

Each row includes boundary markers that define category transitions:

Poor upper: highest value typically still considered poor.
Fair upper: upper boundary of fair fitness.
Good upper: upper boundary of good fitness.
Very good upper: upper boundary of very good fitness.
Excellent lower: minimum threshold for excellent classification.

This structure helps you quickly place a lab-tested VO₂ max or calculator estimate into an age-adjusted category.

Visual percentile-like bands

Poor Fair Good Very good Excellent

Charts

Excellent-threshold VO₂ max by age (Male vs Female)

Excellent thresholds trend lower with age, reflecting normal physiological change.

How this compares to external norms

The category boundaries broadly align with established cardiorespiratory fitness references from ACSM-style normative tables and clinical explainers used by providers such as Mayo Clinic and StatPearls.

In practice, these references agree on the directional pattern: expected VO₂ max declines with age, and typical male reference values remain higher than female values because of average physiological differences in oxygen transport and body composition.

If your value differs from a device app classification, check method first: treadmill gas analysis, submax test equations, and wearable estimates can produce different outputs.

How to interpret VO₂ max in training

Use VO₂ max as one metric in context, not as your only performance score. Practical interpretation:

Identify your age band and gender row.
Locate your value against the category boundaries.
Track changes over 8-12 week training blocks rather than daily fluctuations.
Cross-check with race outcomes, threshold pace, and easy-run heart-rate drift.

For example, a 42-year-old female with VO₂ max 39 would sit above the “Good upper” (38) and below “Very good upper” (43), placing her near the Good/Very Good transition.

Full data table

Age group	Gender	Poor upper	Fair upper	Good upper	Very good upper	Excellent lower
13-19	Female	35	39	44	49	53
20-29	Female	33	37	42	47	52
30-39	Female	31	35	40	45	50
40-49	Female	29	33	38	43	48
50-59	Female	27	31	36	41	46
60-69	Female	24	29	34	39	44
70-79	Female	22	27	32	37	42
13-19	Male	38	44	50	56	62
20-29	Male	36	42	48	54	60
30-39	Male	34	40	46	52	58
40-49	Male	32	38	44	50	56
50-59	Male	30	36	42	48	54
60-69	Male	27	33	39	45	51
70-79	Male	24	30	36	42	48

Methodology notes and limitations

VO₂ max values differ by measurement method (direct gas analysis vs. prediction equations).
Age bands in this table follow common decade-group reporting conventions used in exercise physiology summaries (13-19, 20-29, …, 70-79).
Category cutoffs are consolidated educational benchmarks informed by ACSM-linked references and clinical VO₂ max interpretation resources.
Device-based estimates can carry noise; look for trend stability across repeated measures.
Category labels are screening tools and should be interpreted alongside clinical context.
Altitude, heat, illness, and fatigue can temporarily depress measured values.

VO₂ Max by Age