Sports hub

VO2max, sport by sport.

How big is the engine in each sport, what else it demands, and how to train it — with the numbers from the research.

Running

The purest test of the engine.

Top level: 70–85 (men) · 60–75 (women)

Cycling

Big engines, measured in watts.

Top level: 70–85 (men) · 60–75 (women)

Swimming

Technique first, then the engine.

Top level: 60–75 (men) · 50–65 (women)

Rowing

The biggest absolute engines in sport.

Top level: 60–70 (men) · 55–65 (women)

Cross-country skiing

Home of the highest values ever recorded.

Top level: 80–90 (men) · 65–80 (women)

Triathlon

Three sports, one engine.

Top level: 70–80 (men) · 60–70 (women)

Hyrox

8 km of running between 8 stations.

Elite data: not yet published

Football (soccer)

Ninety minutes of repeated sprints.

Top level: 55–68 (men) · 48–57 (women)

Tennis & padel

Short bursts, long matches.

Top level: 55–65 (men) · 48–56 (women)

Combat sports

Rounds of all-out work, short rests.

Top level: 55–65 (men) · 48–56 (women)

Top-level VO2max by sport

MenWomen

Typical lab values reported for the top level of each sport, rounded (ml/kg/min). Hyrox has no published elite data yet.