What is VO₂ max and what is vVO₂max?

VO₂ max is the most oxygen your body can use, in ml/kg/min. vVO₂max —also called maximal aerobic speed, MAS or VAM— is the slowest running speed at which you reach it, in km/h. You can only run a speed, so it is the better anchor for setting paces. It is held for 4 to 8 minutes, about 6 on average.

How do you estimate VO₂ max from a running test?

Multiply your vVO₂max by 3.5: 15 km/h (9.3 mph) gives a VO₂ max of about 52.5 ml/kg/min. It is Léger and Mercier’s relation and assumes average running economy. If you run very economically, your real VO₂ max is a little lower; only a lab test with gas analysis gives the exact figure.

Which test should I do?

On your own, the 6-minute test: it needs no correction and is the cleanest. In a group or a gym hall, the beep test. The Cooper test only if it is the one you can do, because twelve minutes are no longer run at vVO₂max. And if you do not want to test, a recent 3,000 m to 10K result estimates well.

How do I calculate my heart rate zones for running?

From your measured max heart rate, not 220 minus age, which is off by 10 beats or more for many people. The practical way is to look at your highest heart rate at the end of a hard test or an all-out hill. Enter it and every zone comes out in beats per minute.

Should I train by pace or by heart rate?

By pace for intervals, because heart rate lags and over a 3-minute rep it never catches up with the effort. By heart rate on easy runs, especially in the heat or when tired, when the same pace costs more. The table gives you both.

How often should I retest?

Every 6 to 10 weeks, at the start of each training block, and after an injury or a long break. Your vVO₂max moves: train on a three-month-old number and every rep of your plan is too slow.

Calculator

VO₂ max calculator and running zones

Enter your test result —6 minutes, 5 minutes, Cooper, beep test or a recent race— and get your maximal aerobic speed (vVO₂max), the pace of each of your six zones, your estimated VO₂ max and what you can run today from 1,500 m to the marathon.

Your test

Test

After a 15-20 min warm-up, run 6 minutes at the highest speed you can hold, on the flat and at an even pace.

Metres in 6 minutes

Paces in

Max heart rate (optional)

In beats per minute. With it, every zone also comes out in heart rate.

Calculated in your browser: nothing is sent or stored.

Your vVO₂max15km/h · 9.3 mph

Estimated VO₂ max: 52.5 ml/kg/min; 3.5 × vVO₂max (Léger and Mercier).
Pace at vVO₂max: 6:26/mi; The one you can hold for about 6 minutes.

Train at these paces

Save your vVO₂max in the app and every rep of your plan comes out at your pace.

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Your six running zones

The same ones the app uses. Pace = 3600 ÷ (vVO₂max × %).

Zone	% vVO₂max	Pace	% max HR
Z1 · RecoveryGet the blood moving without adding fatigue.	50–65	9:54–12:52/mi	55–70 %
Z2 · Easy runYour aerobic base: 70-80 % of your running.	65–75	8:35–9:54/mi	70–80 %
Z3 · SteadyMarathon pace and durability.	75–84	7:40–8:35/mi	80–87 %
Z4 · ThresholdRaise the pace you can sustain. What carries over most to 10K and half.	84–92	7:00–7:40/mi	87–92 %
Z5 · VO₂maxIntervals of 30 s to 5 min: maximal aerobic power.	92–105	6:08–7:00/mi	92–100 %
Z6 · SpeedShort reps: mechanics and lactate tolerance.	105–130	4:57–6:08/mi	—

Predicted race times

What your vVO₂max allows today if you are trained for each distance.

Race	Time	Pace
1,500 m	5:36	6:01/mi
3,000 m	12:00	6:26/mi
5K	21:17	6:51/mi
10K	44:57	7:14/mi
Half	1:39:52	7:37/mi
Marathon	3:33:39	8:09/mi

These are trained-runner values. Without a base, the longer races come out slower than the table: what is missing is endurance, not engine. VO₂ max is an estimate; only a lab gives the exact figure.

How it works

1
From test to vVO₂max
6 minutes: metres ÷ 100. 5 minutes: metres × 0.012 × 0.98. Cooper: metres ÷ 200 ÷ 0.92. Beep test: 8.5 + (stage − 1) × 0.5. A race: its average speed divided by the share of vVO₂max that distance is run at.
2
From vVO₂max to your zones
Each zone is a range of % of vVO₂max, and the pace comes from pace (s/km) = 3600 ÷ (vVO₂max × %). At 16 km/h, 90 % is 14.4 km/h: 4:10/km. Heart rate is a guide, as a % of your max.
3
From vVO₂max to VO₂ max and race times
VO₂ max ≈ 3.5 × vVO₂max, Léger and Mercier’s relation between the oxygen cost of running and speed. Race times come from the share of vVO₂max held over each distance: 94 % for a 5K, 79 % for a marathon.

The theory, with sources

How to run a test properly, why to train by vVO₂max and how to split your week by zones.

vVO2 max: the speed that organizes all your training

What maximal aerobic speed is, how to measure it with a six-minute field test, how all your zones and target paces come out of it, and how often to measure it again.

Keep reading

Training zones: measuring effort without kidding yourself

The three-zone model, where 80/20 comes from, how to estimate your threshold with a field test, and why most recreational runners train in a grey zone that achieves nothing.

Keep reading

Pace calculator

Pace, time and splits, plus your 5K to marathon prediction.

Keep reading

Frequently asked questions

What is VO₂ max and what is vVO₂max?: VO₂ max is the most oxygen your body can use, in ml/kg/min. vVO₂max —also called maximal aerobic speed, MAS or VAM— is the slowest running speed at which you reach it, in km/h. You can only run a speed, so it is the better anchor for setting paces. It is held for 4 to 8 minutes, about 6 on average.
How do you estimate VO₂ max from a running test?: Multiply your vVO₂max by 3.5: 15 km/h (9.3 mph) gives a VO₂ max of about 52.5 ml/kg/min. It is Léger and Mercier’s relation and assumes average running economy. If you run very economically, your real VO₂ max is a little lower; only a lab test with gas analysis gives the exact figure.
Which test should I do?: On your own, the 6-minute test: it needs no correction and is the cleanest. In a group or a gym hall, the beep test. The Cooper test only if it is the one you can do, because twelve minutes are no longer run at vVO₂max. And if you do not want to test, a recent 3,000 m to 10K result estimates well.
How do I calculate my heart rate zones for running?: From your measured max heart rate, not 220 minus age, which is off by 10 beats or more for many people. The practical way is to look at your highest heart rate at the end of a hard test or an all-out hill. Enter it and every zone comes out in beats per minute.
Should I train by pace or by heart rate?: By pace for intervals, because heart rate lags and over a 3-minute rep it never catches up with the effort. By heart rate on easy runs, especially in the heat or when tired, when the same pace costs more. The table gives you both.
How often should I retest?: Every 6 to 10 weeks, at the start of each training block, and after an injury or a long break. Your vVO₂max moves: train on a three-month-old number and every rep of your plan is too slow.

Your vVO₂max, turned into a plan

My PR saves your vVO₂max, reminds you when to retest and writes every rep of your plan at your pace, with your zones alongside.

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