Estimated VO₂max & METs (Bruce / Cooper)
Estimated VO₂max from an exercise test: the Bruce treadmill-time regression or the Cooper 12-minute-distance equation.
Open the calculator → Runs in your browser. Data leaves only if you deliberately send a problem report from the interactive tool.
Example
- Method
- Bruce treadmill (time to exhaustion)
- Treadmill time to exhaustion
- 10 min
- Sex
- Male
Result: VO₂max 34.1 mL/kg/min; 9.7 METs.
The tool opens with these values already filled in. Replace them with your own.
What the result means
- Bruce
- Men VO₂max = 14.76 − 1.379·T + 0.451·T² − 0.012·T³; women 4.38·T − 3.9 (T = min to exhaustion).
- Cooper / METs
- Cooper VO₂max = (distance_m − 504.9)/44.73; METs = VO₂max/3.5.
What you enter
- Method
- Treadmill time to exhaustion (Bruce)
- Sex (Bruce)
- 12-minute distance (Cooper)
How this is calculated
Bruce RA, Kusumi F, Hosmer D. Maximal oxygen intake and nomographic assessment of functional aerobic impairment in cardiovascular disease. Am Heart J. 1973;85(4):546-562. Field test: Cooper KH. JAMA. 1968;203(3):201-204. Read the source ↗
A reference and educational tool. Not medical, legal, or financial advice, and not a substitute for clinician judgment.