Cooper 12-minute Run Test Norms
The Cooper 12 minute run is a popular maximal running test of aerobic fitness. Here are some norms for you to compare results.
There are tables for metric (meters) and imperial units (yards).
The table data is taken from: Cooper, K.H. (1968), "A means of assessing maximal oxygen uptake," Journal of the American Medical Association, 203:201-204, and converted to yards.
Cooper Test Results for Males (in meters)
| Age | Excellent | Above Ave | Average | Below Ave | Poor |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Male 20-29 | > 2800m | 2400 - 2800m | 2200 - 2399m | 1600 - 2199m | < 1600m |
| Males 30-39 | > 2700m | 2300 - 2700m | 1900 - 2299m | 1500 - 1999m | < 1500m |
| Males 40-49 | > 2500m | 2100 - 2500m | 1700 - 2099m | 1400 - 1699m | < 1400m |
| Males 50+ | > 2400m | 2000 - 2400m | 1600 - 1999m | 1300 - 1599m | < 1300m |
Cooper Test Results for Females (in meters)
| Age | Excellent | Above Ave | Average | Below Ave | Poor |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Females 20-29 | > 2700m | 2200 - 2700m | 1800 - 2199m | 1500 - 1799m | < 1500m |
| Females 30-39 | > 2500m | 2000 - 2500m | 1700 - 1999m | 1400 - 1699m | < 1400m |
| Females 40-49 | > 2300m | 1900 - 2300m | 1500 - 1899m | 1200 - 1499m | < 1200m |
| Females 50+ | > 2200m | 1700 - 2200m | 1400 - 1699m | 1100 - 1399m | < 1100m |
Cooper Test Results for Males (in yards)
| Age | Excellent | Above Ave | Average | Below Ave | Poor |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Male 20-29 | > 3060 | 2620 - 3060 | 2410 - 2620 | 1750 - 2410 | < 1750 |
| Males 30-39 | > 2950 | 2510 - 2950 | 2080 - 2510 | 1640 - 2080 | < 1640 |
| Males 40-49 | > 2730 | 2300 - 2730 | 1860 - 2300 | 1530 - 1860 | < 1530 |
| Males 50+ | > 2620 | 2190 - 2620 | 1750 - 2190 | 1420 - 1750 | < 1420 |
Cooper Test Results for Females (in yards)
| Age | Excellent | Above Ave | Average | Below Ave | Poor |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Females 20-29 | > 2950 | 2410 - 2950 | 1970 - 2410 | 1640 - 1970 | < 1640 |
| Females 30-39 | > 2730 | 2190 - 2730 | 1860 - 2190 | 1530 - 1860 | < 1530 |
| Females 40-49 | > 2520 | 2080 - 2520 | 1640 - 2080 | 1310 - 1640 | < 1310 |
| Females 50+ | > 2410 | 1860 - 2410 | 1530 - 1860 | 1200 - 1530 | < 1200 |
Related Pages
- Description of the procedures for conducting the Cooper 12 minute run
- Review of the 12 minute run iphone app
Any comments, suggestions, or corrections? Please let us know.
Old Comments
Commenting is closed on this page, though you can read some previous comments below which may answer some of your questions.
- Age charts that only go to age 50 are useless for a big percentage of the population. Dale Matson (2015)
- but also a large proportion of the population over 50 would never do a fitness test. from Rob Admin (2015)
- SystemBuilder (2016)
Hmm, I am 55 and just did one yesterday. My dad bought kenneth cooper's books in the early 1970's and I found them to be extremely useful to measure progress from my "get back in shape" exercise programs that I have undertaken ~5 times since college. My dad died of a heart attack at age 46. As a result of his death, I became a high school and college athlete.
- Mike Deverich (2016)
you would be surprised at the effect death has on those over 55. After 55 life starts to take things away from you instead of giving them. - A large proportion of the population over 18 would never do a fitness test. from Vahvistus (2016)
- Well, I think the larger point is that a chart that just outputs "good", "average", "excellent is pretty useless, given that your distance run on this test can be directly converted to a good V02max estimate. from Franckit Dale Matson (2020)
- i think most people with average biomechanics could easily achieve a distance within the excellent category with a few months training. Elite athletes could absolutely smash them. from Sam (2013)
- To me it's mostly an observation about how unfit the general population is...
- Why don't you have the norms for children included? from CC (2020)
- Now that I am 60 the 50+ numbers look harder. Even at 50 with little training the distance for excellent was not a problem. Now my 85% effort mile is about 9 minutes, and I usually walk about 5 miles a day. from Brett (2016)
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