VO2 Max Calculator
Estimate your VO2 max from a 12-minute run, a 1-mile walk or your heart rates, work out running pace and predicted times for 5K to marathon, and convert steps to miles from your height.
VO2 max calculator
Marathon pace calculator and running pace calculator
Steps to miles calculator
How VO2 max is estimated
- Cooper 12-minute run: VO2 max = (meters − 504.9) ÷ 44.73. 2,400 m gives 42.4 ml/kg/min.
- Rockport 1-mile walk: 132.853 − 0.0769 × weight (lb) − 0.3877 × age + 6.315 × (1 if male) − 3.2649 × time (min) − 0.1565 × heart rate. A 40-year-old 180 lb man walking a mile in 14:00 at 140 bpm: about 42.2.
- Heart-rate ratio (Uth et al., 2004): 15.3 × max HR ÷ resting HR. 190 ÷ 60 gives 48.45.
Lab tests on a treadmill with gas analysis are the gold standard; field estimates are typically within about 10%. For men in their 40s, roughly 35–42 is average and above 45 is excellent; women's norms are about 5 to 8 points lower (ACSM).
Running pace calculator and race predictor
Pace = time ÷ distance. A 4:00:00 marathon is 9:09 per mile (5:41 per km). Race predictions use Riegel's formula, T₂ = T₁ × (D₂ ÷ D₁)1.06, which works best for races within a factor of about 4 of each other and assumes training for the longer distance.
Steps to miles: how many steps in a mile?
Stride length is about 0.415 × height for men and 0.413 × height for women (walking). At 5'10", a man's stride is about 29 in, so a mile is about 2,180 steps and 10,000 steps is about 4.6 miles. Running strides are longer, so running miles take fewer steps.
Common questions
How do I calculate VO2 max?
Run as far as you can in 12 minutes: (meters − 504.9) ÷ 44.73. 2,400 m ≈ 42.4.
What is a good VO2 max?
Depends on age and sex; for men in their 40s, 35–42 is average and 45+ excellent.
What pace is a 4-hour marathon?
9:09 per mile, 5:41 per km.
How many miles is 10,000 steps?
About 4.6 miles for a 5'10" man; roughly 4 to 5 miles for most adults.
How many steps are in a mile?
About 2,000 to 2,400 walking, depending on height.
Sources
- Cooper (1968), JAMA: A means of assessing maximal oxygen intake
- Kline et al. (1987): Estimation of VO2max from a one-mile track walk (Rockport)
- Uth et al. (2004), Eur J Appl Physiol: Estimation of VO2max from the ratio between HRmax and HRrest
- Riegel (1981), American Scientist: Athletic records and human endurance
Related
General information, not financial, tax or legal advice. Check important numbers with the official source before acting on them.