VO2 Max Calculator
Use a 2k erg time or a longer field test to estimate aerobic capacity. Follow the number through fall and winter base, compare varsity benchmarks, and add context to practice zones.
How do you estimate VO2max from rowing?
A 2k result feeds the Klusiewicz formula (-0.0224 x seconds + 91.3 for men, -0.0245 x seconds + 95.5 for women). For another test piece, convert the pace to average watts, divide by body weight in kg, and use (VO2 = 12.5 x W/kg + 3.5). Both methods return ml of oxygen per kilogram per minute. A field estimate often falls within 5 ml/kg/min of lab testing.
Your test
Klusiewicz validated separate equations for male and female rowers. Selecting "Other" applies the male formula by default.
Age does not change the formula. It only selects a benchmark comparison.
Test summary
Estimated VO2max
ml/kg/min
Method
Average power
One field test can only provide an estimate. A lab VO2 test with a mask, gas analyzer, and ramp protocol is the reference method and typically lands within 3-5 ml/kg/min of these calculations.
Where you sit against rowing benchmarks
Reference bands draw on ACSM Guidelines for Exercise Testing and Prescription (11th ed.) plus Hagerman 1984 data from US national team oarsmen and oarswomen. Elite results regularly exceed 70 ml/kg/min for men and 60 ml/kg/min for women.
Worked example
Consider a male varsity rower at 165 lb (75 kg) who completes a 2k in 6:50.0 (410 seconds).
- 1.First express the result in seconds: 6 minutes 50 seconds = 410 seconds.
- 2.Insert it into the male Klusiewicz equation: VO2max = (-0.0224 x 410) + 91.3.
- 3.The arithmetic gives -9.184 + 91.3 = 82.1 ml/kg/min.
- 4.That estimate falls in the elite band, consistent with a trained heavyweight varsity rower pulling a 6:50 2k.
- 5.Now compare the power method: a 6:50 2k = 270 W average = 3.60 W/kg, giving 12.5 x 3.60 + 3.5 = 48.5 ml/kg/min.
These methods bracket the likely result because their assumptions differ. Klusiewicz tends to over-predict for sub-elite collegiate athletes, while ACSM under-predicts by assuming 100% mechanical efficiency. This rower would probably test around 60-65 ml/kg/min in a lab, between the two estimates.
How the estimate works
What VO2max is, and why rowers care
VO2max describes the greatest volume of oxygen an athlete can absorb, move, and use during maximal exercise. The unit is milliliters of oxygen per kilogram of body weight per minute. A 2k is roughly 75% aerobic, so this capacity limits sustainable rowing power. Varsity coaches track it through fall and winter base, use it when setting training zones, and add it to spring projections for IRA, Sprints, and Stotesbury.
Estimating from a 2k time (Klusiewicz)
Klusiewicz and colleagues paired lab tests from Polish national team athletes with their 2k erg times, measured in seconds. They produced two linear equations: Men: VO2max (ml/kg/min) = -0.0224 x T + 91.3. Women: VO2max = -0.0245 x T + 95.5. Because T falls as a score improves, the negative coefficient raises the estimate for faster athletes. The competitive sample means results can run high for recreational and sub-varsity rowers. Read this method as a ceiling.
Estimating from any test piece (Concept2 + ACSM)
For any test distance, Concept2 converts pace into average power with watts = 2.80 / (pace_in_seconds_per_meter)^3. Divide the result by body weight in kg for W/kg. Next, the ACSM rowing equation from Hagerman 1984 applies VO2 (ml/kg/min) = 12.5 x W/kg + 3.5. It assumes mechanical efficiency stays near 20%, though real athletes vary. On a maximal effort lasting 5-30 minutes, the output provides a useful VO2max approximation.
How accurate is the estimate?
Among trained rowers, a 2k performance estimate often sits within 5 ml/kg/min of a lab result. Klusiewicz can run high outside its Polish national team sample. The ACSM method often runs low because its fixed 20% mechanical efficiency is below what many trained athletes achieve. Agreement within 5 ml/kg/min is encouraging. When the methods differ by more than 10, the lower estimate is usually the safer training reference.
Use this with the other Row HQ tools
Put the same 2k result into the 2k prediction calculator to project longer distances. Build UT2, UT1, AT, TR and AN targets in the training pace calculator. For a single view of pace, watts, and split across common distances, open the rowing pace chart.
Compare erg and road pace at equal oxygen demand in the rowing to running converter. The data-driven training guide explains how programs can follow the same measures across a season.
Frequently asked questions
Why is estimated VO2max from rowing reasonably accurate?
A Concept2 gives repeatable power data while rowing recruits much of the body (legs, back, arms). During a maximal piece, the cardiovascular system becomes a meaningful limit rather than one small muscle group failing first. That makes the result a useful proxy for whole-body VO2max. Rowing field estimates often fall within 5 ml/kg/min of lab values, similar to predictions from a 1.5-mile running time trial.
Why does the formula differ by sex?
Klusiewicz tested male and female athletes separately because average heart size, hemoglobin, and body composition differ between the groups. A 7:00 2k for a 60 kg woman represents a different relative performance from the same time by a 90 kg man, so each equation uses its own coefficients. No validated alternative exists for varied intersex and non-binary physiology. The Other option defaults to the male formula, and athletes can choose the equation that best matches their physiology.
How does my number compare to elite rowers?
Elite male heavyweights often exceed 70 ml/kg/min, and leading international scullers can reach 80+. Elite female heavyweights commonly record 60-65 ml/kg/min, with exceptional results above 70. Lightweights may be lower in absolute terms but strong relative to bodyweight. Fit varsity ranges are usually 50-60 (men) or 45-55 (women), while recreational masters athletes often fall around 35-45. The displayed bands follow these reference points.
Should I get a lab VO2 test instead?
Choose a lab when an exact baseline matters, such as a USRowing high-performance camp or research project. Routine program decisions rarely need that precision. Repeat a 2k or 6k on the same erg every 8-12 weeks and watch the direction of the estimate. Improvement of 3-5 ml/kg/min across fall and winter base is a strong sign that aerobic capacity has moved.
Does my 2k time predict marathon erg time?
Only indirectly. VO2max sets the aerobic ceiling, while marathon performance also depends on lactate threshold, muscular endurance, and fueling. Two rowers can share the same VO2max yet sustain very different fractions of it for 2 hours. Use the 2k prediction calculator for efforts up to 30 minutes. For anything longer, a marathon-specific test gives a better answer.
How does this differ from heart rate-based VO2 estimates?
Many fitness watches infer VO2max from heart rate at a submaximal pace. That relationship is less reliable in rowing because the seated position and large-muscle pump can produce a lower pulse at a given power than running. These calculator methods start with measured erg power instead. For a rower, that is a more direct input than wrist heart rate.
Sources
Formulas and benchmark bands were last verified on May 17, 2026.
- Klusiewicz A., Faff J., Starczewska-Czapowska J. (2014). Prediction of maximal oxygen uptake from indirect ergometric tests in highly trained junior rowers. Biology of Sport, 31(2), 105-110. The original validation of the 2k-time-to-VO2max linear formula.
- Klusiewicz A., Borkowski L., Sitkowski D., Burkhard-Jagodzinska K., Szczepanska B., Ladyga M. (2016). Indirect methods of assessing maximal oxygen uptake in rowers. Biology of Sport, 33(4), 333-340. Re-validation across a wider rower population, including women.
- Hagerman F. C. (1984). Applied physiology of rowing. Sports Medicine, 1(4), 303-326. The foundational power-to-VO2 relationship used in the ACSM equation.
- American College of Sports Medicine. ACSM Guidelines for Exercise Testing and Prescription, 11th edition (2021). Wolters Kluwer. The ACSM rowing VO2 equation and adult VO2max reference bands.
- Concept2 (n.d.). Watts calculator and pace-power conversion. Concept2 Indoor Rower documentation. concept2.com/training/watts-calculator. The P = 2.80 / pace^3 formula used for power calculation.
Tracking VO2max for one athlete is a calculation. Tracking it for an entire squad is a system.
Following aerobic progress for 30 athletes requires every 2k and 6k result to stay dated and comparable through fall and winter base. Row HQ handles that record inside coach tools and practice session tracking. Combine each VO2max estimate with the training pace calculator to maintain individual zones across the roster.
More rowing tools
2k Prediction Calculator
Predict your 2k time from 5k, 6k or 30-minute test results.
Training Pace Calculator
UT2, UT1, AT, TR and AN zone paces from your 2k.
Erg Score Calculator
Weight-adjusted, age-graded percentile ranking.
Bodyweight-Adjusted Erg Score
Compare lightweight and heavyweight 2k times fairly.