Beep Test VO2 Max Calculator
What Is VO2max and Why Does the Beep Test Measure It?
VO2max is the maximum amount of oxygen your body can use during intense exercise, measured in millilitres of oxygen per kilogram of body weight per minute (mL/kg/min). The beep test estimates it indirectly: the level and shuttle you reach at exhaustion convert to a VO2max score through a validated formula, no lab equipment involved.
It’s an estimate, not a direct measurement. A formula stands in for a gas mask and treadmill in a sports-science lab. For exactly how accurate that estimate is, and where it’s weaker (very unfit beginners, older adults, highly trained endurance runners), see our full guide to what the beep test actually is.
How Is Beep Test VO2max Calculated? (The Formula)
Beep test VO2max is calculated with the Ramsbottom equation: a formula developed by Ramsbottom, Brewer and Williams and published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine in 1988, using only the level and shuttle you reached. It’s separate from the Léger formula used to design the test itself, and it’s been validated against lab-measured VO2max at a 0.92 correlation.
VO2Max = 3.46 * (L + S / (L * 0.4325 + 7.0048)) + 12.2
Where L is the level you reached, and S is the number of shuttles you completed at that level (the exact level and shuttle count the beep test audio calls out as you run). For a refresher on how those are counted, see how to conduct a beep test.
VO2max calculator
Calculate Your VO2max
Select the level and shuttle you reached to get your estimate instantly.
See How You Rank
Add your age and sex to compare your score to the standard ratings.
Beep Test to VO2max Conversion Table
Prefer to look it up directly? The table below covers every level and shuttle from 1 to 21.
| Level (L) | Shuttle (S) | Distance Run | VO2max |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | 20 | 16.1252 |
| 1 | 2 | 40 | 16.5904 |
| 1 | 3 | 60 | 17.0557 |
| 1 | 4 | 80 | 17.5209 |
| 1 | 5 | 100 | 17.9861 |
| 1 | 6 | 120 | 18.4513 |
| 1 | 7 | 140 | 18.9166 |
| 2 | 1 | 160 | 19.5597 |
| 2 | 2 | 180 | 19.9993 |
| 2 | 3 | 200 | 20.4390 |
| 2 | 4 | 220 | 20.8786 |
| 2 | 5 | 240 | 21.3183 |
| 2 | 6 | 260 | 21.7579 |
| 2 | 7 | 280 | 22.1976 |
| 2 | 8 | 300 | 22.6372 |
| 3 | 1 | 320 | 22.9968 |
| 3 | 2 | 340 | 23.4135 |
| 3 | 3 | 360 | 23.8303 |
| 3 | 4 | 380 | 24.2470 |
| 3 | 5 | 400 | 24.6638 |
| 3 | 6 | 420 | 25.0805 |
| 3 | 7 | 440 | 25.4973 |
| 3 | 8 | 460 | 25.9140 |
| 4 | 1 | 480 | 26.4361 |
| 4 | 2 | 500 | 26.8322 |
| 4 | 3 | 520 | 27.2284 |
| 4 | 4 | 540 | 27.6245 |
| 4 | 5 | 560 | 28.0206 |
| 4 | 6 | 580 | 28.4167 |
| 4 | 7 | 600 | 28.8128 |
| 4 | 8 | 620 | 29.2089 |
| 4 | 9 | 640 | 29.6051 |
| 5 | 1 | 660 | 29.8774 |
| 5 | 2 | 680 | 30.2549 |
| 5 | 3 | 700 | 30.6323 |
| 5 | 4 | 720 | 31.0097 |
| 5 | 5 | 740 | 31.3871 |
| 5 | 6 | 760 | 31.7646 |
| 5 | 7 | 780 | 32.1420 |
| 5 | 8 | 800 | 32.5194 |
| 5 | 9 | 820 | 32.8969 |
| 6 | 1 | 840 | 33.3204 |
| 6 | 2 | 860 | 33.6808 |
| 6 | 3 | 880 | 34.0413 |
| 6 | 4 | 900 | 34.4017 |
| 6 | 5 | 920 | 34.7621 |
| 6 | 6 | 940 | 35.1225 |
| 6 | 7 | 960 | 35.4830 |
| 6 | 8 | 980 | 35.8434 |
| 6 | 9 | 1000 | 36.2038 |
| 6 | 10 | 1020 | 36.5642 |
| 7 | 1 | 1040 | 36.7649 |
| 7 | 2 | 1060 | 37.1098 |
| 7 | 3 | 1080 | 37.4547 |
| 7 | 4 | 1100 | 37.7995 |
| 7 | 5 | 1120 | 38.1444 |
| 7 | 6 | 1140 | 38.4893 |
| 7 | 7 | 1160 | 38.8342 |
| 7 | 8 | 1180 | 39.1791 |
| 7 | 9 | 1200 | 39.5240 |
| 7 | 10 | 1220 | 39.8689 |
| 8 | 1 | 1240 | 40.2106 |
| 8 | 2 | 1260 | 40.5413 |
| 8 | 3 | 1280 | 40.8719 |
| 8 | 4 | 1300 | 41.2025 |
| 8 | 5 | 1320 | 41.5332 |
| 8 | 6 | 1340 | 41.8638 |
| 8 | 7 | 1360 | 42.1944 |
| 8 | 8 | 1380 | 42.5251 |
| 8 | 9 | 1400 | 42.8557 |
| 8 | 10 | 1420 | 43.1863 |
| 8 | 11 | 1440 | 43.5170 |
| 9 | 1 | 1460 | 43.6575 |
| 9 | 2 | 1480 | 43.9750 |
| 9 | 3 | 1500 | 44.2925 |
| 9 | 4 | 1520 | 44.6100 |
| 9 | 5 | 1540 | 44.9275 |
| 9 | 6 | 1560 | 45.2451 |
| 9 | 7 | 1580 | 45.5626 |
| 9 | 8 | 1600 | 45.8801 |
| 9 | 9 | 1620 | 46.1976 |
| 9 | 10 | 1640 | 46.5151 |
| 9 | 11 | 1660 | 46.8326 |
| 10 | 1 | 1680 | 47.1054 |
| 10 | 2 | 1700 | 47.4108 |
| 10 | 3 | 1720 | 47.7162 |
| 10 | 4 | 1740 | 48.0216 |
| 10 | 5 | 1760 | 48.3269 |
| 10 | 6 | 1780 | 48.6323 |
| 10 | 7 | 1800 | 48.9377 |
| 10 | 8 | 1820 | 49.2431 |
| 10 | 9 | 1840 | 49.5485 |
| 10 | 10 | 1860 | 49.8539 |
| 10 | 11 | 1880 | 50.1593 |
| 11 | 1 | 1900 | 50.5542 |
| 11 | 2 | 1920 | 50.8483 |
| 11 | 3 | 1940 | 51.1425 |
| 11 | 4 | 1960 | 51.4366 |
| 11 | 5 | 1980 | 51.7308 |
| 11 | 6 | 2000 | 52.0250 |
| 11 | 7 | 2020 | 52.3191 |
| 11 | 8 | 2040 | 52.6133 |
| 11 | 9 | 2060 | 52.9074 |
| 11 | 10 | 2080 | 53.2016 |
| 11 | 11 | 2100 | 53.4958 |
| 11 | 12 | 2120 | 53.7899 |
| 12 | 1 | 2140 | 54.0037 |
| 12 | 2 | 2160 | 54.2875 |
| 12 | 3 | 2180 | 54.5712 |
| 12 | 4 | 2200 | 54.8549 |
| 12 | 5 | 2220 | 55.1386 |
| 12 | 6 | 2240 | 55.4224 |
| 12 | 7 | 2260 | 55.7061 |
| 12 | 8 | 2280 | 55.9898 |
| 12 | 9 | 2300 | 56.2735 |
| 12 | 10 | 2320 | 56.5573 |
| 12 | 11 | 2340 | 56.8410 |
| 12 | 12 | 2360 | 57.1247 |
| 13 | 1 | 2380 | 57.4540 |
| 13 | 2 | 2400 | 57.7280 |
| 13 | 3 | 2420 | 58.0020 |
| 13 | 4 | 2440 | 58.2760 |
| 13 | 5 | 2460 | 58.5500 |
| 13 | 6 | 2480 | 58.8241 |
| 13 | 7 | 2500 | 59.0981 |
| 13 | 8 | 2520 | 59.3721 |
| 13 | 9 | 2540 | 59.6461 |
| 13 | 10 | 2560 | 59.9201 |
| 13 | 11 | 2580 | 60.1941 |
| 13 | 12 | 2600 | 60.4681 |
| 13 | 13 | 2620 | 60.7421 |
| 14 | 1 | 2640 | 60.9049 |
| 14 | 2 | 2660 | 61.1699 |
| 14 | 3 | 2680 | 61.4348 |
| 14 | 4 | 2700 | 61.6997 |
| 14 | 5 | 2720 | 61.9647 |
| 14 | 6 | 2740 | 62.2296 |
| 14 | 7 | 2760 | 62.4945 |
| 14 | 8 | 2780 | 62.7595 |
| 14 | 9 | 2800 | 63.0244 |
| 14 | 10 | 2820 | 63.2894 |
| 14 | 11 | 2840 | 63.5543 |
| 14 | 12 | 2860 | 63.8192 |
| 14 | 13 | 2880 | 64.0842 |
| 15 | 1 | 2900 | 64.3564 |
| 15 | 2 | 2920 | 64.6129 |
| 15 | 3 | 2940 | 64.8693 |
| 15 | 4 | 2960 | 65.1258 |
| 15 | 5 | 2980 | 65.3822 |
| 15 | 6 | 3000 | 65.6387 |
| 15 | 7 | 3020 | 65.8951 |
| 15 | 8 | 3040 | 66.1515 |
| 15 | 9 | 3060 | 66.4080 |
| 15 | 10 | 3080 | 66.6644 |
| 15 | 11 | 3100 | 66.9209 |
| 15 | 12 | 3120 | 67.1773 |
| 15 | 13 | 3140 | 67.4338 |
| 16 | 1 | 3160 | 67.8085 |
| 16 | 2 | 3180 | 68.0570 |
| 16 | 3 | 3200 | 68.3054 |
| 16 | 4 | 3220 | 68.5539 |
| 16 | 5 | 3240 | 68.8024 |
| 16 | 6 | 3260 | 69.0509 |
| 16 | 7 | 3280 | 69.2993 |
| 16 | 8 | 3300 | 69.5478 |
| 16 | 9 | 3320 | 69.7963 |
| 16 | 10 | 3340 | 70.0448 |
| 16 | 11 | 3360 | 70.2933 |
| 16 | 12 | 3380 | 70.5417 |
| 16 | 13 | 3400 | 70.7902 |
| 16 | 14 | 3420 | 71.0387 |
| 17 | 1 | 3440 | 71.2610 |
| 17 | 2 | 3460 | 71.5020 |
| 17 | 3 | 3480 | 71.7430 |
| 17 | 4 | 3500 | 71.9840 |
| 17 | 5 | 3520 | 72.2250 |
| 17 | 6 | 3540 | 72.4660 |
| 17 | 7 | 3560 | 72.7069 |
| 17 | 8 | 3580 | 72.9479 |
| 17 | 9 | 3600 | 73.1889 |
| 17 | 10 | 3620 | 73.4299 |
| 17 | 11 | 3640 | 73.6709 |
| 17 | 12 | 3660 | 73.9119 |
| 17 | 13 | 3680 | 74.1529 |
| 17 | 14 | 3700 | 74.3939 |
| 18 | 1 | 3720 | 74.7139 |
| 18 | 2 | 3740 | 74.9479 |
| 18 | 3 | 3760 | 75.1818 |
| 18 | 4 | 3780 | 75.4158 |
| 18 | 5 | 3800 | 75.6497 |
| 18 | 6 | 3820 | 75.8837 |
| 18 | 7 | 3840 | 76.1176 |
| 18 | 8 | 3860 | 76.3516 |
| 18 | 9 | 3880 | 76.5855 |
| 18 | 10 | 3900 | 76.8195 |
| 18 | 11 | 3920 | 77.0534 |
| 18 | 12 | 3940 | 77.2873 |
| 18 | 13 | 3960 | 77.5213 |
| 18 | 14 | 3980 | 77.7552 |
| 18 | 15 | 4000 | 77.9892 |
| 19 | 1 | 4020 | 78.1673 |
| 19 | 2 | 4040 | 78.3946 |
| 19 | 3 | 4060 | 78.6219 |
| 19 | 4 | 4080 | 78.8492 |
| 19 | 5 | 4100 | 79.0765 |
| 19 | 6 | 4120 | 79.3038 |
| 19 | 7 | 4140 | 79.5311 |
| 19 | 8 | 4160 | 79.7584 |
| 19 | 9 | 4180 | 79.9857 |
| 19 | 10 | 4200 | 80.2130 |
| 19 | 11 | 4220 | 80.4403 |
| 19 | 12 | 4240 | 80.6676 |
| 19 | 13 | 4260 | 80.8949 |
| 19 | 14 | 4280 | 81.1222 |
| 19 | 15 | 4300 | 81.3495 |
| 20 | 1 | 4320 | 81.6210 |
| 20 | 2 | 4340 | 81.8420 |
| 20 | 3 | 4360 | 82.0631 |
| 20 | 4 | 4380 | 82.2841 |
| 20 | 5 | 4400 | 82.5051 |
| 20 | 6 | 4420 | 82.7261 |
| 20 | 7 | 4440 | 82.9471 |
| 20 | 8 | 4460 | 83.1681 |
| 20 | 9 | 4480 | 83.3892 |
| 20 | 10 | 4500 | 83.6102 |
| 20 | 11 | 4520 | 83.8312 |
| 20 | 12 | 4540 | 84.0522 |
| 20 | 13 | 4560 | 84.2732 |
| 20 | 14 | 4580 | 84.4943 |
| 20 | 15 | 4600 | 84.7153 |
| 20 | 16 | 4620 | 84.9363 |
| 21 | 1 | 4640 | 85.0751 |
| 21 | 2 | 4660 | 85.2902 |
| 21 | 3 | 4680 | 85.5052 |
| 21 | 4 | 4700 | 85.7203 |
| 21 | 5 | 4720 | 85.9354 |
| 21 | 6 | 4740 | 86.1505 |
| 21 | 7 | 4760 | 86.3655 |
| 21 | 8 | 4780 | 86.5806 |
| 21 | 9 | 4800 | 86.7957 |
| 21 | 10 | 4820 | 87.0108 |
| 21 | 11 | 4840 | 87.2258 |
| 21 | 12 | 4860 | 87.4409 |
| 21 | 13 | 4880 | 87.6560 |
| 21 | 14 | 4900 | 87.8711 |
| 21 | 15 | 4920 | 88.0861 |
| 21 | 16 | 4940 | 88.3012 |
VO2max Fitness Ratings by Age and Sex
Once you've got a VO2max number, here's how it compares to normative data for your age and sex.
Male Ratings
| Rating | 18-25 | 26-35 | 36-45 | 46-55 | 56-65 | 65+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Excellent | > 60 | > 56 | > 51 | > 45 | > 41 | > 37 |
| Good | 52-60 | 49-56 | 43-51 | 39-45 | 36-41 | 33-37 |
| Above Average | 47-51 | 43-48 | 39-42 | 36-38 | 32-35 | 29-32 |
| Average | 42-46 | 40-42 | 35-38 | 32-35 | 30-31 | 26-28 |
| Below Average | 37-41 | 35-39 | 31-34 | 29-31 | 26-29 | 22-25 |
| Poor | 30-36 | 30-34 | 26-30 | 25-28 | 22-25 | 20-21 |
| Very Poor | < 30 | < 30 | < 26 | < 25 | < 22 | < 20 |
Female Ratings
| Rating | 18-25 | 26-35 | 36-45 | 46-55 | 56-65 | 65+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Excellent | > 56 | > 52 | > 45 | > 40 | > 37 | > 32 |
| Good | 47-56 | 45-52 | 38-45 | 34-40 | 32-37 | 28-32 |
| Above Average | 42-46 | 39-44 | 34-37 | 31-33 | 28-31 | 25-27 |
| Average | 38-41 | 35-38 | 31-33 | 28-30 | 25-27 | 22-24 |
| Below Average | 33-37 | 31-34 | 27-30 | 25-27 | 22-24 | 19-21 |
| Poor | 28-32 | 26-30 | 22-26 | 20-24 | 18-21 | 17-18 |
| Very Poor | < 28 | < 26 | < 22 | < 20 | < 18 | < 17 |
Your VO2max number is a snapshot, not a plan. Training the right way can lift it over time, but treat that as a by-product, not the goal. It's the beep test level you hit that decides whether you pass, not the VO2max number behind it. See training for the beep test for the structured way to close the gap between where you are and where you need to be.
Sources
- Ramsbottom, R., Brewer, J. & Williams, C. (1988). A progressive shuttle run test to estimate maximal oxygen uptake. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 22(4), 141-144. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/3228681
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