VO₂ Max - VO₂ Max Levels

VO₂ Max Levels

“Maximal oxygen uptake (VO₂max) is widely accepted as the single best measure of cardiovascular fitness and maximal aerobic power. Absolute values of VO₂max are typically 40-60% higher in men than in women.”

The average untrained healthy male will have a VO₂ max of approximately 35-40 ml/kg/min. The average untrained healthy female will score a VO₂ max of approximately 27-31 ml/kg/min. These scores can improve with training and decrease with age, though the degree of trainability also varies very widely: conditioning may double VO₂max in some individuals, and will marginally improve it in others.

In sports where endurance is an important component in performance, such as cycling, rowing, cross-country skiing, swimming and running, world class athletes typically have high VO₂ maxima. Elite male runners can generate up to 85 ml/kg/min, and female elite runners can generate about 77 ml/kg/min. Five time Tour de France winner Miguel Indurain is reported to have had a VO₂ max of 88.0 at his peak, while cross-country skier Bjørn Dæhlie measured at 96 ml/kg/min. Dæhlie's result was achieved out of season, and physiologist Erlend Hem who was responsible for the testing stated that he would not discount the possibility of the skier passing 100 ml/kg/min at his absolute peak. Norwegian cyclist Oskar Svendsen is thought to have recorded the highest VO₂ max of 97.5 ml/kg/min, a "sensational" value in itself, made more remarkable by his young age (18 years old at the time). World class rowers are physically very large endurance athletes and typically do not score as high on a per weight basis, but often score exceptionally high in absolute terms. Male rowers typically score VO₂ maxima over 6 litres/minute, and some exceptional individuals have exceeded 8 l/min.

To put this into perspective, thoroughbred horses have a VO₂ max of around 180 ml/kg/min. Siberian dogs running in the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race have VO₂ values as high as 240 ml/kg/min.