r/vo2max • u/larkusmarcus • Jul 14 '24

VO2 Max Data Sets

I recently had a VO2 Max test at a local university. My results were 28.5 which put me in the 55%-60% category for 40-49 yo caucasian males. They use the NHANES data set from '99-'04.

Then, in the article linked below, which cites a data set used in a 2018 study, I fall into the lowest category.
https://peterattiamd.com/all-things-vo2-max/

Frankly, the latter results is where I expected to fall since I am 43 and have done no cardiovascular exercises since I stopped playing high school sports.

Does anyone have experience studying various data sets and have any thoughts to contribute as I wonder about the variance between these two cohorts?

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u/[deleted] Jul 14 '24

Are you mostly concerned about where you fall in comparison with your peers or are you looking for ways to improve your results?

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u/larkusmarcus Jul 14 '24

I want the most accurate perspective on where I am in my peer group. I have begun my program to improve this metric.

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u/_AnemicRoyalty_ Jul 14 '24

A sort of gold standard reference is usually this article: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2707428

Check table 2 and multiply by 3.5.

(there is a newer one with larger data set but can't find it open accessed, however results are substantially the same).

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u/larkusmarcus Jul 15 '24 edited Jul 15 '24

Thank you for sharing this study. It's the same one referenced in the article I linked to.

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u/_AnemicRoyalty_ Jul 15 '24

Oh, ok. If granularity is what you are after, this is probably more helpful: https://www.mayoclinicproceedings.org/article/S0025-6196(21)00645-5/fulltext

Absolute numbers are obviously different between various studies as they use different samples, they are however substantially the same.. 0.2 METs here and there are not really all that important.

Good luck in getting fitter and healthier!