Cooper test
The Cooper test is twelve minutes of running as far as you can. This runs the clock, counts you in, warns you when the last seconds are coming, and turns the distance you covered into an estimated VO₂max.
Get to the start
0:10
Run as far as you can in 12 minutes on a flat, measured route. A running track is ideal because the distance is known. Warm up first, and treat the estimate as a starting point rather than a verdict.
Before you start
- This is a maximal effort. If you have a heart condition, are pregnant, or have been told to avoid hard exercise, speak to a doctor first.
- Warm up properly. A cold start is where people get hurt.
- Use a measured route: an athletics track makes the distance exact, and a guess at how far you went is a guess at your result.
- Stop if you feel chest pain, dizziness or unusual breathlessness.
The estimate comes from the same published equation the VO₂max calculator uses, where the method and its source are set out in full. A field test estimates; it does not measure the way a laboratory test does.