What Is A Good VO2 Max For A 50+ Year-Old Runner? 

We'd love to what your Vo2Max number is. Let us know below (and your age). While you're here, if you'd like to improve yours, then check out this free training: coachparry.com/cqm5-Training-Workshop

I’m 61. VO2 max according to my Garmin 965 is 58. It’s been as high as 62 last year. I train daily and am running my 6th Boston Marathon next month. I’m also a triathlete and do multiple Sprint, Olympic and 70.3 triathlons each year.

I'm 21 with the VO2 Max of a 93 year old

I am a 75 year old runner that last qualified for the Boston Marathon in 2022. I recently purchased a Garmin Fenix Pro and it is telling me my VO2 max is 46. I have no trouble walking up stairs or balancing on one foot.

Totally different numbers for women! Would have been good to include them! I am Female, 55, and a VO2Max of 41. Another channel tested Watches and compared to Lab and found it pretty accurate, btw. My VO2 maxx is according to tables in an “ excellent” range. I also improved from 39 to 41 in the last 6months. Running distance marathon and hm.

Hi there, I'm 56 and currently according to Garmin I'm at 53 V02Max when I started running during COVID it was at 46. Sounds like I should be fairly pleased.

55 with 67 VO2max and 2:50 in marathon and training for a sub 2:50 this November at NYC 2024

59 yr old , V02 max currently 56

My vo2max value according to my fenix 7 pro is 52, I am 75 years old and have been doing a variety of sports my whole life. 1-3 hours a day, road cycling, running, skiing, weight training, gymnastics, volleyball and other sports. I am also a trainer for general sports.

51 years old. Currently , according to my Garmin watch, it's 45 but a few months ago when doing more interval trainings and tempo runs it was 50. 3 years ago I did a lab test and that result was 4 point higher than indicated by my watch.

I'm 28, my VO2 max according to my Garmin instinct is 41. Was a bodybuilder in my youth, and burned out during my early 20s. I am now trying to recover..

Insightful. Thx team!

Great presentation! Short, concise and convincing. I just love it!

Great video! Had a VO2 max test 10 days ago at an assessment facility. Im 61 and came in at 47.2 so pretty happy with it. Now looking to try and train on to close in on that 50 mark.

I’m nearly 48 years old and pretty new to running. My VO2 Max (from Apple Watch) has gone up recently from about 40 to 44.

I'm 75 and climb the stairs to my 14th floor condo daily. I've also started climbing to the rooftop (18 floors), which I accomplish easily. I do cardio every other day at the gym where I run 8 minute miles on the treadmill for around 25 minutes. I have no firm idea about my VO2 Max but I suspect it's between 42 and 49.

Lindsey spoke very well; thank you.

Can you please record a video detailing the Cooper Test, its meaning and accuracy, and demonstrate one of your channel runners actually performing it. Thank you, Lindsey and Parry.

Such a great video, I always wondered how VO2 max was measured... You guys are awesome!

Great explanation, great video.

I'm 65, workout 5-6 times weekly alternating between 60-90 minutes zone 2 on a rowing machine (with the occasional unpleasant HIIT piece) and core/kettlebell/bodyweight exercises. According to my Fitbit my VO2max is 48-52. According to Concept2s VO2max calculator my VO2max is 47-51 (2k/7.44.9}

I'm 58yo, took up triathlon in lockdown and lost 18kg. June 2023 my VO2 max got to 57. Then I got an achilles injury and couldn't run at all or cycle much for 6 month. V02 max dropped to 49. Now creeping back up - currently 52 - but injury matters so train hard and regularly but also listen to your body as you age.

Very interesting, my VO2 max is 42 at 56 years old. I never do intervals so I'll try adding them in to some of my runs. Thanks

Lindsay summarizes in a very consistent manner the definition of Healthspan that Dr. Peter Attia makes in his book (Outlive) and the difference with Lifespan. Grip Strength as an aging indicator as well as Balance and the most important VO2 Max, very good episode 👍🏼👍🏼 PS.- I’m 61 and last Thursday at College gym we did the 12min treadmill test 2,530 m, according to Pike Fitness = 56.41 VO2 max (I’m the vintage of the class and I believe I outran the rest of the class😉)

So the 93 year old man in the thumbnail is not featured in the video? Isn't that a little misleading?

That’s one of the best videos for us +60 years olds.

Thanks Coach. I love the way you can pack so much useful info into such a short video, using clear and concise explanations delivered so succinctly and calmly. Thanks for all you do. Quick question if I may: what do you think about the Cooper Test for those who can't afford a lab test? I'm 63 and my Garmin tells me my VO2 is 47. Cooper Test says 48. Should I trust either?

I’m a 63-yr old female. Garmin says 54 but I had it done in a lab and it’s 46, which based on the chart they provided me is considered “athletic”. Next and highest category is Elite.

Glad this guy is so health but it should be noted many 21 year olds probably have crappy vo2 maxs. We’ll probably never no the vo2 max of the average 21 year old (or any average age group) because extremely unlikely the average persons will ever take a vo2 max test. The 21 year old like to have taken a vo2 max test are college atheletes who probably score higher than average. If his vo2 max are higher than that group of 21 year olds i can only say, “amazing, keep doing what your doing” 😀👍🏃‍♂️🏃‍♂️

I’m 54, my current VO2 max estimated on Garmin is 76 all from cycling. It peaked at 81 last year. I use a HR strap Polar H10 and most rides are on a Kickr trainer. Suspect its an overestimate - most of my rides are high Z2, eg around 280-300W for 2 hours. I’m around 76kg.

62 yrs old and 32 v02max. Just started zone training about 3 wks ago. Soon to incorporate strength training and HIIT to try to move that v02max number up.

58 I ran Cooper last autumn 2830m so my VO2max about 51. My weight is 74kilos. Garmin 645 says 50 then, pretty close it knew👍. I use it 24/7.

very simple & clear explanation! good point to move from just longevity to HEALTH span. live healthy & fit not long and sick. Grow strong foundation (aerobic engine, cardio, strengh) early in life so when you lose some later, you still have more than enough at older age. I am excited by this ideea as it adds fire to my motivation to workout now. Thanks!

I turned 60 years old early in 2023 and had a goal to run at least 100 miles a month for that calendar year. I was on track to achieve the goal until six weeks from the end of the year ... I badly twisted my ankle finishing up a five mile run the week before Thanksgiving. At that point, my VO2 max had been running 56-57 (as reported by my Garmin 255). It took me 3-4 weeks to rehab the ankle enough to resume running. Though I technically missed the goal I had set, I allowed myself to feel like I had semi-achieved it, since I did at least "average" 100 miles per month for the 12 month period. 😅 My VO2 max slipped a few points, down to 54 or so, whilst rehabbing the ankle. Fast forward a few months to February 2024 ...I turned 61 and was still working on getting back up to my previous level of fitness. While running to work early one morning in the dark, I failed to see a golf ball sized rock lying in the middle of a paved residential street and ... yep, BANG ... twisted that same ankle again! I rolled it the opposite direction this time. Arghhhhh! 😥😥Back to the rehab. Man was I bummed. And now, though I am again making my way back, my VO2 max has since fallen to 52. FWIW ... I also am an avid cyclist. I only ride 4-6 times a month but my efforts are always at pretty much full gas, thanks to the power of Strava and chasing top tens on segments. 😎

Another great video. I’m 59 in June with VO2 max of 56

I’m 47 and my VO2 max is 50. It has been improving I’ve increased my running mileage. I hope to continue that trend and get my VO2 max up to the mid 50’s.

50 years old, 51,5 vo2max in professional lab 2022 and 50 vo2max on coopertest summer 2023.

notoriously innacurate is an understatement. Garmin has me at 47 vo2 max. In lab has me at 62.

I'm 67 and my V02 Max is 37 while riding my bike between 11 mph to 15 mph

64 year old female.Finished a 70 3. Vo2 max on Coros a shows consistently " poor" score of 28? I just stopped caring about it

To me, it's always been what do you DO, with your Vo2Max, not what is the exact number. Most are going off their watch anyway and well, that's not the lab. And most can only go one time which is only good at that point in time. I'm 60 and mine fluctuates (by watch) from 58 down to 54. Depends on the race block I'm in. I still only do Vo2Max once every month but do 45-65mpw total running as well as a couple cross training sessions each week. Injury risk is too high for a marathon runner to do Vo2Max once a week. Strides at the end of my EZ sessions seem to be plenty work. My runner friend was 64. He had a Vo2Max of 52 and just died of a heart attack during a 5 mile run. 😓

My Garmin watch has been climbing from 45 to current 48 when I started running an 8km once a week and a track session of 400 and 800m sprints on the track every second week. I'm 54

I’m 50. Have a Garmin Epix Pro. Ran my first marathon last year and did it in 3:54. Started doing 1/2 marathons then. Just finished my 3rd one with a PR of 1:42. My watch says my VO2 Max is 46.

Excellent .. just wondering how close a Garmin device is to a lab test? I'm reading vo2 of 52, I am 59. I realize this doesn't tell you enough, but I float between 49-52 depending on my running week.

@coachparry I assume Muscle mass must also be a factor as it’s measured per kg? So do I need to be doing hiit, low slow cardio and strength work to improve my current plateau?

Really helpful video. My VO2Max is currently 46 (according to my COROS watch. I’m 49 but have only been a runner for 3 years Would love to get to 50+ as well as getting my 5K time below 22 minutes. Anyway, off to practice some balancing on one leg! 😂

How does aerobic threshold affect the measurement of VO2 max? Some of us who do all zone 5 training have an appalling aerobic threshold and produce acidity rapidly that doesn't clear without stopping. This means can only run very slowly for anything longer than about a minute. VLA max is great though!

The information we get is doable for a professional athlete who can parcel out time for each type of activity. What I have not heard is how separated the sessions have to be. On one extreme, can I do a 30 min zone 2 trot and immediately do a high intensity session, and on the other do they have to be on separate days? The long run will definitely take its own day and you will need rest days but what about the others? Can you do a hybrid.

I’m 48 and been running for almost a year. Garmin estimated VO2 max has been hovering at 41 since I started but I’ve shaved 7 minutes off my 5k during that time. Am I just doomed to have a mediocre vo2 max?

i had a proper vo2max test at a sports university at the age of 50. It was 64. I am nowhere near an elite athlete but train regularly. the figures you quote ARE NOT GOOD VO2 levels, they just describe population levels. I would have though a good vo2max level for a 50 year old male is about 55. (The Garmin numbers are potentially rubbish)

So what is the big guy's VO2 max? Low with all that extra denominator.

I’m 71 and my weight is 80kg. Ive noticed that my Vo2max is higher (46) for my cycling and 44 for my nunning. Why is there a difference?

So, regarding my garmin estimate, is it just generally inaccurate, or can I expect it to be higher or lower than indicated?

Why does the low intensity lead to better capillarization and increase in mitochondria than say moderate intensity (zone 3 or zone 4) workout? I guess it's something to do with aerobic vs anaerobic activity. But I'm not sure. Could you elaborate in any one of your follow on videos? Thanks a lot!

I'm female, 50 years old. My VO2 max according to my Garmin is 52. Would love to improve it

I'm 65 ran my first/only marathon at 64. Garmin 265 had me at 56 vo2 max during peak training, I'm currently off my feet with hip injuries and 54. I assume it overestimates by 2% based on comparison studies of lab vs watch.

I remember cyclist Phil Gaimon saying VO2max is not all that trainable once you reach a reasonable amount of fitness. He's been retired for several years. Maybe he doesn't keep up with the latest reports.

70 vo2max at 49 years old, just gotta keep pushing

I do not run - I exercise on a road bike - same principle but different tables for VO2. I am 82yo/76 kgs - Chest Strap Heart Monitor - Fenix 7 - Garmin 830 VO2 Max 35 Fitness Age 62.5 Not possible. I have tried to lower this VO2 figure manually in the Garmin and then work from that to see what happens - unable. Any advice appreciated.

I’ve been running for 40 years. I use the elliptical and crank it up to the highest level of 25 then do the Norwegian 4x4 method combined with swimming 70 lengths combined with 10 x 50 m Swim sprint intervals twice per week . My Apple Watch tells me that my VO2 max is 30.3 😂

67 year old male with 55 vo2max and 50 RHR.

My v02 max , according to my garmin 255s, is 57. I'm 55 years old.

No mention of diet? Mitochondrial dysfunction is synonymous with insulin resistance, which is caused by excess carbohydrate intake.

10 percent loss per decade, or 10 percentpoint ? Does it drop from 50 to 45 (is 10% decrease) or from 50 to 40 ? (Just example data)

65 yr old runner who averages 1000 miles a year plus lift weights. My vo2 is 50

Does creatine improve VO2max?

Listening to Brad 😅

Are you sure that this is correct @6:46 - "a VO2 max of 32ml per kg of body mass per minute is needed to climb a stairs independently later in life"?

Garmin usually overestimate your VO2 max by ar least 5%

Balance is the key. VO2 max grip strength and muscle max are all key indicators of longevity. If you follow Dr Pater Attia you will know that 4 zone 2 sessions, 4 strength sessions and one HIT session per week are ideal

I started running a little over a year ago, never did anything athletic before that. My Garmin claims that my VO2 Max is 49 which is exactly the age I was when I started running. I'm 50 now and I'm blown away by what I'm able to do. Never thought I could run a 5k, my standard daily runs are around 7k and I've run 10k without much hassle. I'd like to run my first half marathon but it's the mental block that's keeping me from trying. Finally, for someone who smoked the majority of his life I'm really proud of being in the shape I'm in now and my 49 VO2 Max. I don't smoke anymore but I do vape. Never could have done this with a lung full of tar. (I know I know don't say it)

54yrs @58 VO2 max

I am a 60 year-old female pickleball & volleyball player. My iWatch shows 34-35 VO2 max. Just putting that out there since most comments seem to be from runners.

70 year old squash player. 52 by calculation- must be wrong?

Vo2 max, grip strength, stalk stand good one

50 years old 78.2 in a lab tested environment

Where’s that old guy…? 🤔

62 with VO2 max of 62....

Vo2 max of 7. Hover round HP 250

You can do twice a week if you’re fit

I just want morning wood back

This is B.S just train for 30 minutes once every 5 to 7 days hi intensity to failure. You will get all the strength fitness and longevity your genetic code is going to give you. When someone comes on social media and says look how great I am at 90 or whatever. Theyve been blessed GENETICALLY first and foremost. Most men wont even make 91. No matter what they do..

i am 55 and 55,4 VO2...

LOL. Self Validation in RU-vid is by far the funniest thing to see nowadays.

I'm 53 and my garmin says mine is 50.

👍👍👏👏👏👏👏👏🙏🙏

I‘m 56 and Garmin says 58

Hehe, where I "fall on the spectrum..."

The watch is inaccurate AND unreliable for comparisons, I think. When I introduced zone 2 training, my Garmin’s VO2max score dropped steadily, especially as I increased the time out running. It’s quite disconcerting. Then I did some shorter runs, whether easy or faster, around 5 or 6km, and the score went up again. I mean between a low of 42 and high of 48 over a month (I’m 65 fwiw). Unless I put in a shorter run, it tends to drop. The short run appears to keep it steady at the top of the range. Somewhere I read garmin’s algorithm for VO2 works best on something like 12 minutes of max effort. Any truth in this? Also I’ll add losing weight made no difference to its score. When I bought the garmin, I weighed about 75kg so that’s what I put in the settings. I didn’t weigh myself again for about a year but was aware of slimming down. Then I found I was 71.5 kg. Revised that setting hoping to improve the score a bit but it didn’t want to know. Same score! Grrr.

Guys, swimmers always have big lungs and it’s great for the heart. Well, if you don’t want to swim, you can train by inflating rubber balls and inflate your lungs and you will get your VO2 Max Cool!!!

Garmin vo2 max is proven very accuate

Strength training way more important than VO2 max.

I'm 54, sit on my ass, and I'm obese. I tested with a VO2 max that was in the top 90 percentile for any age. That is what my nurse and Dr told me. I haven't trained or run for that matter in about 4 years. I can't run distance to save my life - literally. I sprint.

And Churchill smoked and drank every day and lived till 90! ( We're getting over the clickbait headers 🤦‍♂️ ). Endurance improvement is a way better target than VO2 max btw people

Brad had pay attention too his own Max... start coaching himself.

your clickbaits ...