How to Take the Cooper Run Test
What the 12-minute run tests, how to take it step by step, and a calculator that turns your distance into a VO2 max estimate.
The Cooper Run Test asks one question: how far can you run in 12 minutes? Your distance turns into an estimate of your VO2 max. This page covers what the test measures, how to take it, and a calculator that does the math. For why the number matters, read How Strong Is Your Engine?
Who This Test Is For
Coach's Note: The Rockport Walk Test is for people new to training or who cannot run a full mile yet. The Cooper Run Test is for people already training.
The Cooper is an all-out effort, which is why it is not the place to start if you are new to training or cannot run a full mile yet. If you are not sure you are ready to push near your maximum, that uncertainty is your answer. Take the Rockport Walk Test instead.
What It Tests
Your cardio fitness: how well your heart and lungs deliver oxygen while you work. The number it estimates is your VO2 max, the most oxygen you can take in at an absolute maximum effort. It is written in ml/kg/min: milliliters of oxygen per kilogram of body weight, per minute.
Dr. Kenneth Cooper published the 12-minute run in 1968, checking the distance people covered against their oxygen intake measured on a treadmill. SidebarThe study behind the run test ›
It is still a standard field test for people who already train. The farther you run in 12 minutes, the higher your estimate.
A cardiopulmonary exercise test, also known as a CPX stress test: a treadmill, a breathing mask and a 12-lead EKG, with a trained clinician watching.
Twelve minutes on a track. Your effort gives you an estimate of the same number, no lab needed.
The calculator on this page uses the miles form of the Cooper equation: VO2 max = (35.97 × miles) − 11.29.
What You Need
- A flat, measured surface. A 400-meter track makes the distance easy to measure.
- A watch or phone timer set for 12 minutes.
- Ten to fifteen minutes to warm up first.
Before You Run
If you have a heart, lung, or kidney condition, diabetes, or chest pain or dizziness with activity, check with your doctor before either test. If you have a joint condition or have been inactive for a while, check with your doctor before the all-out run. Start with the walk.
This one is a max-effort test. Three quick questions first:
- Has a doctor ever told you to avoid intense exercise?
- Do you get chest pain or unusual dizziness during activity?
- Any current injury this test could make worse?
Yes to any? Sit this one out for now and check with your doctor.
How to Take It
- Warm up ten to fifteen minutes. Easy jogging with a few short pickups at the end. Do not run this one cold.
- Choose a measured surface. A 400-meter track makes the distance easy to measure. Count your laps and the final part of a lap.
- Cover as much ground as you can. Pace it for the full 12 minutes. Do not sprint it.
- At 12 minutes, stop. Mark your spot. Your distance is your number.
- Turn your laps into miles. One lap in the inside lane of a 400-meter track is just under a quarter mile: 0.249 miles. Multiply your full laps by 0.249, then add the part of your last lap (half a lap is about 0.12 miles). Seven laps is 1.74 miles.
If you are part of Fit Fête, The Cooper Run Test is already live as a challenge in the app. It walks you through it and does the math for you.
Your Number
Enter your distance, your age and your sex. The estimate comes from your distance. Your age and sex set your rating.
ml/kg/min
Your VO2 max estimate
This is an educational estimate from a maximal-effort Cooper 12-minute run, not a clinical measurement, and does not replace medical advice.
Reading Your Result
Your number lands in one of seven bands for your age and sex, cut from the percentiles of a national registry of measured tests. They run from Very Poor to Superior. For example, in ml/kg/min:
| Band | Men 30 to 39 | Women 30 to 39 |
|---|---|---|
| Average | from 42.4 | from 30.2 |
| Good | from 49.2 | from 36.1 |
| Excellent | from 56.5 | from 41.4 |
That is where you start, not a judgment about who you are. The next time you take this test, the only comparison that matters is your number against your number.
Reference values: Kaminsky LA, Arena R, Myers J. Mayo Clinic Proceedings, 2015 (the FRIEND registry, treadmill cardiopulmonary exercise tests, ages 20 to 79; the standards adopted in ACSM's Guidelines for Exercise Testing and Prescription, 10th and 11th editions). The seven bands are our cut at the 5th, 10th, 25th, 50th, 75th, 90th and 95th percentiles; ages 80 and over are rated against the 70 to 79 row. Under 20 is rated against the 20 to 29 row.
Keep Reading
Why this number matters, from the cardiologist I interviewed: How Strong Is Your Engine?
New to training, or cannot run a full mile yet? Start with the walk: How to Take the Rockport Walk Test.
Spencer Maxwell Shilstone
Founder of MaxWell Nutrition and Shilstone Performance Systems. Spencer works with teams and individuals to help them reach their performance goals. He has the honor and privilege of working with and building integrative performance programs for members of U.S. Army Special Operations Command. Optimum Performance is his column at MaxWell Nutrition.
