VO2max Calculator
Estimate maximal oxygen uptake from a 5-minute all-out effort
VO2max estimate
Maximal oxygen uptake from a 5-minute all-out cycling effort.
How the VO₂max estimate works
VO₂max is the highest rate at which your body can take up and use oxygen, in millilitres per kilogram per minute. Measuring it needs a gas analyser; estimating it needs a maximal effort of a few minutes, because the power you can hold for five minutes is closely tied to it. This calculator uses the cycling formula published by Sitko and colleagues in 2022: VO₂max ≈ 10.8 × (5-minute power ÷ weight) + 7.
Enter your best 5-minute average power and your weight and the estimate appears with a classification, from below average to elite. Ride the 5 minutes fresh, warmed up, and as evenly as you can — a fast start that fades gives a lower average than the same legs paced well.
VO₂max sets a ceiling; it does not decide the race. Two riders with the same VO₂max can have thresholds 15 % apart, and it is the threshold that decides who holds the pace. That is what a lactate test measures.
Questions
- How accurate is a VO₂max estimate from power?
- The Sitko equation was fitted on trained cyclists and lands within a few ml/kg/min for most of them. It assumes a true maximal, well-paced 5-minute effort; an under-paced one reads low. Treat it as a good field estimate, not a lab value.
- Can I raise my VO₂max?
- Yes, mostly with intervals of three to five minutes at or slightly above the 5-minute power you just entered, repeated three to six times with equal recovery, once or twice a week on top of an aerobic base. Gains come faster for beginners and slow as you approach your genetic ceiling.
- Does this work for running?
- The formula is for cycling power. Runners can estimate VO₂max from a recent race time — the race predictor on this page works the other way, from time to time — or from a lactate test, which finds the thresholds that matter more for racing.
Ready to track your full training load?
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