VO2max

Fitness can be measured by the volume of oxygen you can consume while exercising at your maximum capacity. VO2max is the maximum amount of oxygen in millilitres, one can use in one minute per kilogram of body weight. Those who are fit have higher VO2max values and can exercise more intensely than those who are not as well conditioned. Numerous studies show that you can increase your VO2max by working out at an intensity that raises your heart rate to between 65 and 85% of its maximum for at least 20 minutes three to five times a week.

VO2max for various groups

The tables below detail normative data for VO2max (ml/kg/min) in various population groups.

Non Athletes

Age	Male	Female
10-19	47-56	38-46
20-29	43-52	33-42
30-39	39-48	30-38
40-49	36-44	26-35
50-59	34-41	24-33
60-69	31-38	22-30
70-79	28-35	20-27

Athletes

Sport	Age	Male	Female
Baseball	18-32	48-56	52-57
Basketball	18-30	40-60	43-60
Cycling	18-26	62-74	47-57
Canoeing	22-28	55-67	48-52
Football (USA)	20-36	42-60
Gymnastics	18-22	52-58	35-50
Ice Hockey	10-30	50-63
Orienteering	20-60	47-53	46-60
Rowing	20-35	60-72	58-65
Skiing alpine	18-30	57-68	50-55
Skiing nordic	20-28	65-94	60-75
Soccer	22-28	54-64	50-60
Speed skating	18-24	56-73	44-55
Swimming	10-25	50-70	40-60
Track & Field - Discus	22-30	42-55
Track & Field - Running	18-39	60-85	50-75
Track & Field - Running	40-75	40-60	35-60
Track & Field - Shot	22-30	40-46
Volleyball	18-22		40-56
Weight Lifting	20-30	38-52
Wrestling	20-30	52-65

Tables adapted from: Wilmore JH and Costill DL. (2005) Physiology of Sport and Exercise: 3rd Edition. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics

Athlete's Vo2max Scores

The following are the Vo2max scores for a selection of the top female and male athletes.

VO2max (ml/kg/min)	Athlete	Gender	Sport/Event
96.0	Espen Harald Bjerke	Male	Cross Country Skiing
96.0	Bjorn Daehlie	Male	Cross Country Skiing
92.5	Greg LeMond	Male	Cycling
92.0	Matt Carpenter	Male	Marathon Runner
92.0	Tore Ruud Hofstad	Male	Cross Country Skiing
91.0	Harri Kirvesniem	Male	Cross Country Skiing
88.0	Miguel Indurain	Male	Cycling
87.4	Marius Bakken	Male	5K Runner
85.0	Dave Bedford	Male	10K Runner
85.0	John Ngugi	Male	Cross Country Runner
73.5	Greta Waitz	Female	Marathon runner
71.2	Ingrid Kristiansen	Female	Marathon Runner
67.2	Rosa Mota	Female	Marathon Runner