Fitness
What Is a Good VO2 Max for My Age?
Short answer
A good VO2 max is one that places you above the median for your age and sex, and an excellent one puts you in the top quartile. Because VO2 max declines with age, the target moves: what is average at 25 would be strong at 55. The practical goal for healthspan is to keep climbing percentile bands rather than to hit one absolute number.
Percentile beats absolute numbers
VO2 max declines roughly steadily from early adulthood in untrained people. Comparing your value against a fixed threshold therefore penalizes older adults and flatters younger ones. Comparing against your own age and sex band tells you something actionable.
The Aevon VO2 Max Estimator returns both the estimate and the percentile so you can see where you sit rather than guessing.
Why it matters for longevity
Cardiorespiratory fitness is consistently among the strongest modifiable correlates of all-cause mortality risk in observational research. Moving from the bottom quartile to the second quartile is associated with the largest relative improvement — which is good news, because that is also the easiest jump to make.
How to raise it
- Build an aerobic base with Zone 2 work — conversational pace, three to four hours a week if you can.
- Add one weekly high-intensity interval session once the base is in place.
- Give it eight to twelve weeks before re-testing; adaptations are real but not fast.
More answers
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