so you survived a vo2max test
Congrats on completing a VO2max test and performing the most powerful assessment of your fitness, health and longevity.
VO2max, also termed Cardio Respiratory Fitness (CRF), is seen as valuable as a vital sign according to the American Heart Association (AHA) (Myers, N Eng J Med, 2002).
So just as you would record height, weight, blood pressure, pulse, etc. at every doctor's visit - the authority on heart health (AHA) and one of the most prestigious peer-reviewed medical journals (N Eng J Med) believes your VO2max should be checked as well.
How you compare
For a generally healthy populace, this study by Kaminsky et al 2022 provides an analysis of 22,379 tests (16,278 treadmill and 6101 cycle) from over 30 different laboratories all over the US. These tests spanned from years 1968 until 2021 and included patients who:
had no known diagnosis of CVD
no known diagnosis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
were men or women aged 20-89
performed a maximal test validated by a respiratory exchange ratio 1.0 or greater
this just means their bodies created enough “exhaust” to signify a high effort
Below are descriptive characteristics of said cohort:
Due note that of all 28 groups, all but 2 (women aged 20-29) averaged “overweight” Body Mass Indexes (BMI). This tracks, as the CDC reports the average BMI of Americans to be over 26 for men and women (overweight starts at 25+).
The VO2 Data
Below is the VO2 max numbers per modality (treadmill or cycle erg), per decade, per sex.
Here are some graphs to better visualize.
I know what you’re thinking… youth is a hell of a drug. The most egregiously skewed data was young cyclists - this was addressed in the article that one particular laboratory included some data of high-level cyclists in the 20-29 age group.
Hopefully, you fared well compared to the average American, but if you’re like me, this isn’t saying much considering our high rates of lifestyle disease.
So, if you blew these numbers away and are feeling quite superior, we can certainly knock you down a peg!
I am still gathering this data — drop a line below if you’re interested in a particular cohort to be compared to!
