Aerobic capacity measures the maximum amount of oxygen a person can use during intense exercise.
Aerobic capacity is also known as VO2 max, which stands for the volume of oxygen uptake per minute, adjusted to the body weight. VO2 max is measured in ml/kg/min. Aerobic capacity is influenced by age, gender, genetics, training, and altitude. Aerobic capacity is an indicator of cardiovascular fitness and endurance performance.
The term aerobic capacity comes from the word aerobic, which means requiring oxygen, and capacity, which means the ability or power to do something. The concept of aerobic capacity was developed by the Swedish physiologist Per-Olof Åstrand in the 1950s, who devised a test to measure VO2 max using a bicycle ergometer. The test involves cycling at increasing workloads until exhaustion while measuring oxygen consumption and heart rate.
Some synonyms or related terms for aerobic capacity are;
- VO2 max
- Maximal oxygen uptake
- Maximal aerobic power
The table below lists the top male athletes with VO2 max above 80 (ml/kg/min).
| VO2 max (ml/kg/min) | Name | Sport |
|---|---|---|
| 97.5 | Oskar Svendsen | Cycling |
| 96.0 | Espen Harald Bjerke | Skiing |
| 96.0 | Bjørn Dæhlie | Skiing |
| 93.9 | Brett Aitken | Cycling |
| 93.0 | Kurt Asle Arvesen | Cycling |
| 92.5 | Greg LeMond | Cycling |
| 92.0 | Kilian Jornet | Running |
| 92.0 | Matt Carpenter | Running |
| 92.0 | Tore Ruud Hofstad | Skiing |
| 91.0 | Gunde Svan | Skiing |
| 91.0 | Harri Kirvesniem | Skiing |
| 88.0 | Miguel Indurain | Cycling |
| 88.0 | Anders Aukland | Cycling |
| 87.4 | Marius Bakken | Running |
| 87.0 | Jon Anders Gaustad | Skiing |
| 86.6 | Mark Tarnopolsky | Skiing |
| 86.4 | Edvald Boasson Hagen | Cycling |
| 86.0 | Thor Hushovd | Cycling |
| 86.0 | Ole Einar Bjœrndalen | Biathlon |
| 85.0 | Dave Bedford | Running |
| 85.0 | John Ngugi | Running |
| 84.6 | Chris Fromme | Cycling |
| 84.4 | Steve Prefontaine | Running |
| 84.0 | Lance Armstrong | Cycling |
| 83.5 | Mark Walters | Cycling |
| 83.0 | Jens Arne Svartedal | Skiing |
| 82.7 | Gary Tuttle | Running |
| 82.0 | Kip Keino | Running |
| 81.1 | Craig Virgin | Running |
| 81.0 | Jim Ryun | Running |
| 80.9 | Øyvind Leonhardsen | Soccer |
| 80.1 | Steve Scott | Running |
Alex Lee is the founder and editor-at-large of Mr. Mamil. Coming from a professional engineering background, he breaks down technical cycling nuances into an easy-to-understand and digestible format here.
He has been riding road bikes actively for the past 12 years and started racing competitively in the senior category during the summer recently.