A good VO2 max for a woman depends on her age and how the number was measured. In the current U.S. FRIEND treadmill reference, the median directly measured VO₂peak is 25.9 mL/kg/min for women aged 40 to 49 and 23.1 for women aged 50 to 59. The 75th-percentile values are 30.9 and 27.3, respectively.[1][2]
Those numbers are useful only when the measurement method matches the reference. A treadmill laboratory result, a cycle test, a watch estimate, and a field test are not interchangeable. The tables and printable tools below show how to use each one.
CELLSHE DATA
Women’s VO2 Max Reference & Testing Sheet
Female laboratory treadmill reference
These are age-specific percentiles for directly measured peak oxygen uptake during treadmill cardiopulmonary exercise testing. Values are mL/kg/min. The table uses the 2022 FRIEND reference implementation with an RER criterion of at least 1.10.[1][2]
| Age | P10 | P25 | Median P50 | P75 | P90 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20–29 | 22.2 | 28.6 | 35.6 | 42.2 | 47.3 |
| 30–39 | 19.2 | 23.1 | 28.3 | 34.5 | 41.1 |
| 40–49 | 17.4 | 21.3 | 25.9 | 30.9 | 37.5 |
| 50–59 | 16.6 | 19.5 | 23.1 | 27.3 | 31.8 |
| 60–69 | 13.5 | 16.4 | 19.4 | 23.1 | 27.3 |
| 70–79 | 12.3 | 14.8 | 17.1 | 20.0 | 22.8 |
| 80–89 | 11.4 | 12.8 | 15.1 | 17.2 | 19.9 |
Female laboratory cycle reference
Cycle values are lower than treadmill values in the FRIEND data, so a laboratory bike result should be compared with the cycle table.[1][2]
| Age | P10 | P25 | Median P50 | P75 | P90 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20–29 | 19.4 | 24.1 | 31.4 | 38.9 | 45.0 |
| 30–39 | 15.2 | 17.9 | 21.5 | 25.8 | 31.7 |
| 40–49 | 13.8 | 16.0 | 19.0 | 22.7 | 26.8 |
| 50–59 | 13.5 | 15.2 | 17.3 | 20.0 | 22.6 |
| 60–69 | 12.5 | 14.2 | 15.9 | 18.1 | 20.3 |
| 70–79 | 11.2 | 12.8 | 14.6 | 16.5 | 18.0 |
| 80–89 | 7.8 | 9.0 | 10.9 | 13.0 | 14.1 |
Cooper 12-minute run
Best fit: someone who already runs and is comfortable with a hard, sustained effort.
- Use a measured flat track or course.
- Warm up before starting.
- Cover as much distance as you can in exactly 12 minutes.
- Record the distance in meters.
Estimated VO2 max = (distance in meters − 504.9) ÷ 44.73
| Distance | Estimated VO2 max |
|---|---|
| 1,600 m | 24.5 mL/kg/min |
| 1,800 m | 29.0 mL/kg/min |
| 2,000 m | 33.4 mL/kg/min |
| 2,200 m | 37.9 mL/kg/min |
| 2,400 m | 42.4 mL/kg/min |
The original Cooper validation compared the 12-minute field test with laboratory oxygen consumption in 115 male U.S. Air Force personnel. The correlation was 0.897. The test is useful as a field estimate, but its original validation was not women-specific.[5]
Rockport 1-mile walk
Best fit: someone who wants a walking-based estimate rather than an all-out running test.
The original Rockport study included 343 healthy adults aged 30 to 69, including 178 women. Participants completed one mile on a track as fast as possible without running.[4]
Women: estimated VO2 max = 132.853 − (0.0769 × weight in lb) − (0.3877 × age) − (3.2649 × time in minutes) − (0.1565 × finishing heart rate)
Use decimal minutes in the equation. For example, 15:30 becomes 15.5 minutes. The original general equation includes a sex term, but that term is zero for women.[4]
Use the right comparison. Laboratory CPET directly measures oxygen uptake. Cooper and Rockport estimate it from field performance. A wearable estimates it from its own algorithm. For progress tracking, repeat the same method under reasonably similar conditions.
Sources: Kaminsky et al. 2022 [1]; FRIENDanalysis 2022 reference implementation [2]; Kline et al. 1987 [4]; Cooper 1968 [5].
What does VO2 max actually tell you?
VO₂ max describes how much oxygen your body can use during very hard exercise. It is one of the clearest measures of cardiorespiratory fitness.
The familiar unit is mL/kg/min. It means milliliters of oxygen used per kilogram of body weight each minute. That “per kilogram” part matters when body weight changes.
The FRIEND laboratory tables above technically report VO₂peak, the highest oxygen uptake reached during cardiopulmonary exercise testing. “VO₂ max” is the term most people know, so this article uses it for the general concept while preserving VO₂peak when referring to the FRIEND endpoint.[1]
What is a good VO2 max for a woman?
A useful definition of “good” is a score that is high for your age and test method, rather than one universal cutoff for every woman.
In the FRIEND treadmill data, a woman aged 40 to 49 is around the middle of the reference group at 25.9 mL/kg/min. A value of 30.9 is around the 75th percentile, and 37.5 is around the 90th percentile. For women aged 50 to 59, those same reference points are 23.1, 27.3, and 31.8.[2]
P50 is the median. P75 means about three-quarters of women in that age and test reference scored at or below that value. These percentiles describe where a result sits in the reference group. They are not medical grades.
This is why online VO₂ charts can disagree. Some use older datasets, some use manufacturer categories, and some mix predicted with directly measured values. The 2022 FRIEND update itself produced treadmill reference values 1.5 to 4.6 mL/kg/min lower than the earlier 2015 FRIEND standards.[1]
Why does VO2 max usually fall with age?
Aerobic capacity usually declines with age, and longitudinal data suggest that the decline becomes steeper later in life.
The Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging followed 375 women and 435 men aged 21 to 87 with repeated treadmill oxygen measurements over a median 7.9 years. Peak VO₂ declined across adulthood, with faster losses at older ages.[3]
That matters because the FRIEND table is cross-sectional. It compares different women of different ages. It does not mean that every individual woman will follow the exact drop between one row and the next.
Training history also matters. A woman who remains active can have a much higher aerobic capacity than another woman of the same age. Age sets context; it does not fix your personal ceiling.
Does menopause change VO2 max?
Menopause can influence aerobic physiology and training response, but current evidence does not support a separate menopause-specific “normal VO₂ max” chart.
One small training study followed 25 healthy, untrained women aged 45 to 58. After 12 weeks of exercise training, the rise in VO₂max was smaller in the postmenopausal group than in the premenopausal group.[7]
A separate five-year MONET analysis followed 66 women through the menopause transition and measured treadmill VO₂peak. Higher fitness was associated with a more favorable cardiometabolic profile during that transition.[8]
For a woman in midlife, the practical answer is simple: use the female age-based reference that matches your test. Do not look for a separate postmenopause cutoff that the evidence has not established.
Lab test, watch or fitness test: how was your VO2 max measured?
The measurement method changes how much confidence you should place in the exact number.
Laboratory CPET
A cardiopulmonary exercise test measures the gases you breathe while exercise intensity increases. This directly quantifies oxygen uptake and is the reference approach behind the FRIEND tables.[1]
If your test was performed on a treadmill, use the treadmill table. If it was performed on a cycle ergometer, use the cycle table.
Apple Watch, Garmin and other wearables
A wearable VO2 max is an estimate, not a laboratory measurement. It can still be useful for following your own trend.
A systematic review of 14 wearable-validation studies found smaller average error when devices used exercise data, but individual agreement with laboratory measurements remained wide. That is why a watch value should not be assigned an exact FRIEND laboratory percentile.[6]
If you are tracking progress, compare the same device or test method whenever possible.
Field tests
The Cooper run and Rockport walk estimate VO2 max from what you can do outside a laboratory. They let you assess aerobic fitness without laboratory gas analysis, but the result remains an estimate.
Use Cooper if running hard for 12 minutes suits your current fitness. Use Rockport if a fast one-mile walk is the better test for you.
CELLSHE TOOL
Before You Test: Make the Result Worth Comparing
My test
- Lab treadmill CPET
- Lab cycle CPET
- Cooper 12-minute run
- Rockport 1-mile walk
- Apple Watch
- Garmin or another wearable
Before I start
- I am using the same test or device as last time, if this is a retest.
- I know the route, treadmill, bike, or protocol I am using.
- I am not testing while acutely ill.
- I have not just completed a very hard workout.
- I will note heat, altitude, wind, hills, or other conditions that could change field-test performance.
- I have recorded my body weight if I am comparing relative VO2 in mL/kg/min.
Before a maximal self-test
- I am accustomed to vigorous exercise.
- I do not have new chest discomfort with activity.
- I do not have unexplained fainting or dizziness.
- I do not have new breathlessness with mild activity.
If those symptoms are present, a maximal field test is not the right next step. Exercise preparticipation guidance uses symptoms, current activity, known disease, and intended exercise intensity to guide when medical clearance is appropriate.[14]
My result
My next comparison
CELLSHE interpretation: A consistent method does not turn an estimate into a lab measurement. It makes your own trend easier to interpret.
Safety framework: Riebe et al. 2015 [14]. Measurement distinctions: Kaminsky et al. 2022 [1]; Molina-Garcia et al. 2022 [6].
Why did my VO2 max drop?
First decide whether the drop is a real fitness trend or a change in how the number was produced.
A switch from treadmill to bike, one watch to another, or lab testing to a wearable can change the number without representing the same biological change. Field-test performance can also shift when the route or testing conditions change.
Body weight can move the relative number because mL/kg/min includes kilograms in the denominator. Illness, a training break, or poor recovery can also make a hard test perform differently from your usual baseline.
The most useful signal is several comparable readings moving in the same direction, especially if your real-world exercise capacity is changing too.
CELLSHE TOOL
Why Did My VO2 Max Drop?
1. Did the measurement change?
- Different watch or wearable
- Different field test
- Treadmill instead of cycle, or cycle instead of treadmill
- Laboratory result compared with a wearable estimate
2. Did body weight change?
- My body weight changed enough to affect a per-kilogram score.
3. Were the test conditions different?
- More heat, wind, altitude, or hills
- Different route, surface, treadmill, or bike setup
4. Was I at my normal baseline?
- Recent illness
- Very poor sleep or recovery
- Hard training immediately beforehand
- Training break or return after injury
5. Is it actually a trend?
6. Has my exercise capacity changed too?
- My normal pace feels harder than before.
- I cannot sustain activities I previously could.
- I have new breathlessness during easy activity.
- I have chest discomfort, dizziness, or fainting with activity.
One lower estimate: repeat the same method before reading too much into it.
Several comparable results falling together: treat the pattern as a real trend worth investigating.
A decline with new concerning symptoms: make the symptoms the priority rather than chasing another fitness score.[14]
CELLSHE synthesis based on measurement-method evidence [1][6], the definition of relative VO₂ [11], and exercise screening guidance [14].
Does body weight affect VO2 max?
Yes. A VO₂ value expressed in mL/kg/min can change because aerobic capacity changed, body weight changed, or both.
Imagine absolute oxygen use stayed at 2.0 liters per minute. At 80 kg, that equals 25.0 mL/kg/min. At 70 kg, it equals 28.6 mL/kg/min. The relative score rose even though this example keeps absolute oxygen use unchanged.
This does not make body weight irrelevant. It means a higher relative score after weight loss is not, by itself, proof that the cardiorespiratory system increased its absolute capacity.
Recent FRIEND work has addressed this problem by developing sex-specific reference equations that account for estimated lean body mass and body fat. The authors found that conventional VO₂peak reference equations can be miscalibrated in people with obesity.[11]
Why does VO2 max matter for women?
Cardiorespiratory fitness is a meaningful health marker, not just a running metric.
A 2024 update to the American Heart Association's cardiorespiratory-fitness statement concluded that the evidence continues to support CRF as a powerful marker of cardiovascular and mortality risk.[10]
Women-specific evidence points in the same direction. A Cooper Clinic cohort followed 17,901 healthy women for a mean 17.9 years. Higher age-adjusted treadmill fitness was associated with lower all-cause mortality across the fitness continuum.[9]
That study used treadmill performance rather than the FRIEND percentile table. The useful conclusion is that aerobic fitness matters. A FRIEND percentile should not be converted into a personal lifespan estimate.
Cardiorespiratory fitness is one part of healthy aging. Strength, sleep, movement, and metabolic health still matter too. CELLSHE's Aging Well After 40 guide places aerobic fitness alongside other practical midlife markers.
Can women improve VO2 max after 40 or 50?
Yes. VO2 max remains trainable in midlife and later life.
A women-specific systematic review and meta-analysis found that both moderate-to-vigorous continuous training and high-intensity interval training increased VO2 max. The average improvements were 3.20 and 3.16 mL/kg/min, respectively, with no significant difference between the two training formats overall.[12]
A 2026 meta-analysis of 19 randomized trials in 646 middle-aged and older women also found that HIIT improved cardiorespiratory fitness. The included populations ranged from healthy women to women with overweight, postmenopausal status, or cardiometabolic risk factors.[13]
You do not need to make every cardio session an interval workout. Regular continuous aerobic training works too. Choose an approach you can repeat and progress.
For general health, current U.S. guidance recommends 150 to 300 minutes of moderate aerobic activity, 75 to 150 minutes of vigorous activity, or an equivalent mix each week. Adults should also do muscle-strengthening work on at least two days.[15]
If you want a practical strength plan to pair with your aerobic work, see Strength Training for Longevity. For a wider view of habits that support aging well, see How to Age Gracefully.
CELLSHE TOOL
My 6–8 Week VO2 Fitness & Retest Plan
My baseline
My current week
My main goal
- Build consistency
- Increase total aerobic activity
- Add some vigorous work
- Return after a training break
- Improve repeat field-test performance
- Maintain my current fitness
Steady route: build regular moderate-to-vigorous continuous aerobic activity.
Mixed route: keep regular aerobic work and include harder intervals if vigorous exercise already fits your health and training level.
Both approaches can improve VO2 max in women.[12]
My 8-week record
| Week | Aerobic sessions | Total aerobic minutes | Harder session if used | Strength days | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | |||||
| 2 | |||||
| 3 | |||||
| 4 | |||||
| 5 | |||||
| 6 | |||||
| 7 | |||||
| 8 |
My retest
- I will use the same test method.
- I will use the same device when possible.
- I will use the same exercise mode.
- For a field test, I will use the same route or course when possible.
- The same activity feels easier.
- The same activity feels about the same.
- The same activity feels harder.
CELLSHE interpretation: Use the score as one measure of aerobic capacity. The larger goal is better capacity for exercise and daily life, not simply a larger number on a watch.
Training evidence: Lindner et al. 2023 [12]; Cai et al. 2026 [13]. Public-health activity baseline: U.S. Physical Activity Guidelines [15].
When should a low or falling VO2 score get more attention?
A low reference percentile by itself is not a diagnosis. The FRIEND tables describe the distribution of fitness in apparently healthy adults who underwent CPET.[1]
A persistent fall matters more when your actual exercise tolerance falls with it. New chest discomfort, fainting, dizziness, or breathlessness during easy activity are reasons to stop treating the issue as a fitness-chart problem and seek medical assessment. Exercise screening guidance places signs and symptoms at the center of decisions about vigorous exercise.[14]
Use the number in a way that helps you
A VO2 max number becomes useful when you know where it came from. Compare treadmill laboratory results with treadmill references, cycle results with cycle references, and wearable or field-test estimates with themselves over time.
Age changes the reference range, but it does not make aerobic fitness fixed. Women can improve cardiorespiratory fitness through regular aerobic training in midlife and later life. Measure consistently, follow the trend, and use the result to support what you want your body to keep doing.
Scientific references
- Kaminsky LA, Arena R, Myers J, et al. Updated Reference Standards for Cardiorespiratory Fitness Measured with Cardiopulmonary Exercise Testing: Data from the Fitness Registry and the Importance of Exercise National Database (FRIEND). Mayo Clinic Proceedings. 2022;97(2):285–293. PMID: 34809986. DOI: 10.1016/j.mayocp.2021.08.020. PubMed.
- Peterman JE. FRIENDanalysis: FRIENDpercentile reference implementation. 2022 reference edition, RER ≥1.10. Documentation; source values.
- Fleg JL, Morrell CH, Bos AG, et al. Accelerated longitudinal decline of aerobic capacity in healthy older adults. Circulation. 2005;112(5):674–682. PMID: 16043637. DOI: 10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.105.545459. PubMed.
- Kline GM, Porcari JP, Hintermeister R, et al. Estimation of VO2max from a one-mile track walk, gender, age, and body weight. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise. 1987;19(3):253–259. PMID: 3600239. PubMed.
- Cooper KH. A Means of Assessing Maximal Oxygen Intake: Correlation Between Field and Treadmill Testing. JAMA. 1968;203(3):201–204. DOI: 10.1001/jama.1968.03140030033008. JAMA.
- Molina-Garcia P, Notbohm HL, Schumann M, et al. Validity of Estimating the Maximal Oxygen Consumption by Consumer Wearables: A Systematic Review with Meta-analysis and Expert Statement of the INTERLIVE Network. Sports Medicine. 2022;52(7):1577–1597. PMID: 35072942. PMCID: PMC9213394. DOI: 10.1007/s40279-021-01639-y. PubMed.
- Nio AQX, Rogers S, Mynors-Wallis R, et al. The Menopause Alters Aerobic Adaptations to High-Intensity Interval Training. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise. 2020;52(10):2096–2106. PMID: 32453171. DOI: 10.1249/MSS.0000000000002372. PubMed.
- Abdulnour J, Razmjou S, Doucet É, et al. Influence of cardiorespiratory fitness and physical activity levels on cardiometabolic risk factors during menopause transition: A MONET study. Preventive Medicine Reports. 2016;4:277–282. PMID: 27453812. PMCID: PMC4942734. DOI: 10.1016/j.pmedr.2016.06.024. Full text.
- Farrell SW, Leonard D, Barlow CE, et al. Examining the Gradient of All-Cause Mortality Risk in Women across the Cardiorespiratory Fitness Continuum. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise. 2022;54(11):1904–1910. PMID: 35787586. DOI: 10.1249/MSS.0000000000002988. PubMed.
- Ross R, Arena R, Myers J, Kokkinos P, Kaminsky LA. Update to the 2016 American Heart Association cardiorespiratory fitness statement. Progress in Cardiovascular Diseases. 2024;83:10–15. PMID: 38387825. DOI: 10.1016/j.pcad.2024.02.003. PubMed.
- Santana EJ, Kim DS, Christle JW, et al. Reference equations for peak oxygen uptake for treadmill cardiopulmonary exercise tests based on the NHANES lean body mass equations, a FRIEND registry study. European Journal of Preventive Cardiology. 2026;33(6):944–955. PMID: 39920345. DOI: 10.1093/eurjpc/zwaf045. PubMed.
- Lindner R, Selva Raj I, Yang AWH, et al. Moderate to Vigorous-intensity Continuous Training versus High-intensity Interval Training for Improving VO2max in Women: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. International Journal of Sports Medicine. 2023;44(7):484–495. PMID: 37084758. DOI: 10.1055/a-2044-8952. PubMed.
- Cai L, Guo J, Zhang R, et al. Effects of high intensity interval training (HIIT) on cardiopulmonary fitness and physical function in middle-aged and elderly women: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Frontiers in Physiology. 2026;17:1778052. PMID: 41859736. PMCID: PMC12995631. DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2026.1778052. PubMed.
- Riebe D, Franklin BA, Thompson PD, et al. Updating ACSM's Recommendations for Exercise Preparticipation Health Screening. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise. 2015;47(11):2473–2479. PMID: 26473759. DOI: 10.1249/MSS.0000000000000664. PubMed.
- U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans, 2nd edition. Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. Official guideline.
