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
Citation
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.