Fitness Testing
Fitness Testing > Tests > Aerobic Endurance > VO2 max > Records
World Best VO2 max Scores
The maximum rate of Oxygen (O2) consumption by the body during exercise, commonly written as VO2max, is the criterion measure of aerobic endurance fitness. You can read details of the procedures for conducting a VO2max Fitness Test. The measurement can be given in the units liters of O2 per min (l.min-1) or divided by body weight to get a score relative to a person's body weight (ml.kg.min-1)
Expected Scores
Wikipedia lists VO2 max levels for the average young untrained male of about 3.5 liters/minute or 45 ml/min/kg. In comparison, world class male endurance athletes in sports such as cycling and cross-country skiing typically achieved scores in excess of 80 ml/kg/min, and occasionally a few may exceed 90 ml/kg/min. The average young untrained female will score about 2.0 liters/minute or 38 ml/min/kg compared to world class female endurance athletes which a few may exceed 70 ml/kg/min. See also some VO2max results for athletes for specific examples for a range of sports.
World Bests
Below is a list of VO2max scores (in the units per body weight: ml/kg/min) that have been recorded for a variety of athletes in a range of sports. Not al the vales have been verified, and the accuracy of these values may vary, as the scores achieved may depend of the quality of the equipment used, the calibration of the equipment, and the testing protocols used. However, these values still provide an interesting list for comparison and discussion.
Having a high VO2max does not necessarily mean that you will be successful. Although all the athletes listed below have been successful in their chosen sports, there have also been others equally successful who have not recorded such high VO2max scores. There are obviously other factors to consider for success in aerobic based sports.
Males
These are some of the top male VO2max scores ever recorded (in ml.kg.min-1).
| score | name | sport | notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 96.0 | Espen Harald Bjerke | Norwegian cross country skier | This score was achieved in 2005 (7.3 liter/min, 76 kg body weight), listed on an article www.fasterskier.com. |
| 96.0 | Bjørn Dæhlie | Norwegian cross country skier | though another source has him recording a best of 90 ml/kg/min |
| 92.5 | Greg LeMond | cycling | US professional cyclist |
| 92.0 | Matt Carpenter | runner | Pikes Peak marathon course record holder |
| 92.0 | Tore Ruud Hofstad | Norwegian cross country skier | achieved in 2005 |
| 91.0 | Gunde Svan | Swedish XC-skier | won a total of 4x gold, 1x silver and 1x bronze medals at the Winter Olympics. |
| 91.0 | Harri Kirvesniem | Finnish cross country skier | |
| 88.0 | Miguel Indurain | cycling | professional cyclist |
| 87.4 | Marius Bakken | runner | Norwegian 5k record holder |
| 85.0 | Dave Bedford | runner | 10k world record holder |
| 85.0 | John Ngugi | distance runner | World XC Champion |
| 84.4 | Steve Prefontaine | runner | from the US |
| 84.0 | Lance Armstrong | cycling | professional cyclist |
| 82.7 | Gary Tuttle | US runner | |
| 82.0 | Kip Keino | runner | Olympic 1500 champion |
| 81.1 | Craig Virgin | distance runner | twice World cross country champ |
| 81.0 | Jim Ryun | runner | US miler WR holder |
| 80.1 | Steve Scott | runner | US miler 3:47 |
Females
These are just a few VO2max scores that have been found recently for females. There is sure to be more that can be added to this list.
| score | name | sport | notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 78.6 | Joan Benoit | distance running | 1984 Olympic Marathon Champion |
| 76.6 | Bente Skari | XC-skier | |
| 74 | Charlotte Kalla | XC-skier | achieved at only 2O years of age |
| 72 | Marit Bjoergen | XC-skier | |
| 72 | Toini Rönnlund | XC-skier | achieved in the sixties sometime. |
| 71.2 | Ingrid Kristiansen | distance running | ex-Marathon World Record Holder |
| 67.2 | Rosa Mota | distance running | Marathon runner |
Related Pages
- procedure for VO2max Testing
- VO2max results for athletes.
- more Fitness Testing Records and other Sporting Records
- More Records? I scan the internet for the latest athlete results. If you know of something I have missed, I would love to hear from you.
