Estimated VO2max
CooperMeasured averages by age and sex
Mean ± standard deviation of directly measured VO2max from the HUNT 3 Fitness Study, a reference population of 3,816 healthy Norwegian adults. Exact figures from Table 2 of the paper cited below. These are averages, not grades: roughly two-thirds of that group fell within one standard deviation of the mean for their age and sex.
| Age | Men | Women |
|---|---|---|
| 20–29 | 54.4 ± 8.4 | 43.0 ± 7.7 |
| 30–39 | 49.1 ± 7.5 | 40.0 ± 6.8 |
| 40–49 | 47.2 ± 7.7 | 38.4 ± 6.9 |
| 50–59 | 42.6 ± 7.4 | 34.4 ± 5.7 |
| 60–69 | 39.2 ± 6.7 | 31.1 ± 5.1 |
| 70+ | 35.3 ± 6.5 | 28.3 ± 5.2 |
Source: Loe H, Rognmo Ø, Saltin B, Wisløff U (2013). Aerobic Capacity Reference Data in 3816 Healthy Men and Women 20–90 Years. PLoS ONE 8(5): e64319, Table 2. Open access under CC BY. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0064319. This cohort was fitter than North American samples — the authors put the gap at about 20% once body mass is scaled for — so expect to sit lower against this table than against a North American one.
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