Fitbit Cardio Fitness Score by Age: Chart and What's Good
Run these workouts on your iPhone, or hands-free on Apple Watch. Get PEAKVO2 Your Fitbit Cardio Fitness Score is a VO2 max estimate in ml/kg/min, so what counts as good depends on your age and sex. For men, a good score is roughly 46 or more at age 20 to 29, 42 or more at 40 to 49, and 35 or more at 60 to 69; women's thresholds run about 10 to 15 percent lower. Fitbit's own Poor to Excellent levels already adjust for age and sex, but the charts below show exactly where your number falls.
Fitbit gives you two things: a number (your Cardio Fitness Score) and a word (your Cardio Fitness Level). This page explains what the number means at your age, with full charts for men and women, and how to read Fitbit's levels against them. For the general guide behind these norms, see our VO2 max charts by age and sex.
What Is the Fitbit Cardio Fitness Score?
The Cardio Fitness Score is Fitbit's name for its VO2 max estimate, the maximum rate at which your body can use oxygen, reported in milliliters of oxygen per kilogram of body weight per minute (ml/kg/min), the same unit a lab uses. Because it is a real VO2 max number, you can read it against the standard clinical reference charts, which is what the tables below are. VO2 max is also the single best measure of cardiovascular fitness and one of the strongest predictors of long-term health (Mandsager et al., 2018).
Fitbit Cardio Fitness Levels Explained
Alongside the number, Fitbit shows a Cardio Fitness Level, from Poor to Excellent, that is already adjusted for your age and sex. It compresses the chart into one word: an Excellent for a 55-year-old woman is a different raw number than an Excellent for a 25-year-old man. The levels are useful at a glance, but the number is what lets you see exactly how far you are from the next band, and track small changes the level hides.
Fitbit Cardio Fitness Score by Age Chart
These are the normative percentiles from the Cooper Institute and ACSM, the same charts used in clinical exercise testing. Find your decade and sex to see where your Cardio Fitness Score falls.
Men
| Age | Poor | Below Avg | Average | Above Avg | Good | Excellent | Superior |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20-29 | <33 | 33-36 | 37-41 | 42-45 | 46-52 | 53-59 | 60+ |
| 30-39 | <31 | 31-34 | 35-39 | 40-43 | 44-50 | 51-56 | 57+ |
| 40-49 | <28 | 28-32 | 33-37 | 38-41 | 42-48 | 49-54 | 55+ |
| 50-59 | <25 | 25-29 | 30-34 | 35-38 | 39-45 | 46-51 | 52+ |
| 60-69 | <22 | 22-25 | 26-30 | 31-34 | 35-41 | 42-47 | 48+ |
| 70+ | <19 | 19-22 | 23-27 | 28-31 | 32-37 | 38-43 | 44+ |
Values in ml/kg/min.
Women
| Age | Poor | Below Avg | Average | Above Avg | Good | Excellent | Superior |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20-29 | <24 | 24-28 | 29-32 | 33-36 | 37-41 | 42-47 | 48+ |
| 30-39 | <23 | 23-27 | 28-31 | 32-35 | 36-40 | 41-45 | 46+ |
| 40-49 | <21 | 21-25 | 26-29 | 30-33 | 34-38 | 39-43 | 44+ |
| 50-59 | <19 | 19-22 | 23-27 | 28-31 | 32-36 | 37-41 | 42+ |
| 60-69 | <17 | 17-20 | 21-24 | 25-28 | 29-33 | 34-38 | 39+ |
| 70+ | <15 | 15-18 | 19-22 | 23-26 | 27-31 | 32-36 | 37+ |
Values in ml/kg/min.
What Is a Good Cardio Fitness Score by Age?
A good score sits in the Good band or higher for your age and sex. In ml/kg/min:
- Men: 46 or more at 20 to 29, 44 or more at 30 to 39, 42 or more at 40 to 49, 39 or more at 50 to 59, 35 or more at 60 to 69.
- Women: 37 or more at 20 to 29, 36 or more at 30 to 39, 34 or more at 40 to 49, 32 or more at 50 to 59, 29 or more at 60 to 69.
The most useful thing you can do with the score is beat the average for your age group, since that is the step that cuts mortality risk the most. Moving up even one band is a meaningful gain.
Why Your Score Might Look Low
Two common reasons a Fitbit Cardio Fitness Score reads lower than expected. First, if Fitbit shows a range rather than a single number, it is estimating from resting heart rate alone; record an outdoor run with GPS to switch to the more accurate method. Second, wearable estimates carry a few points of error either way, so confirm a surprising reading against the charts above before worrying, and read the trend over weeks rather than one measurement.
How to Raise Your Cardio Fitness Score
Your Fitbit measures the number; raising it takes structured training, and the evidence points clearly at high-intensity intervals. In a controlled trial, two weekly Norwegian 4x4 sessions raised VO2 max by 7.2 percent in eight weeks (Helgerud et al., 2007), and most people gain 5 to 15 percent in 8 to 12 weeks with consistent interval work. The session is simple: four minutes hard at 90 to 95 percent of max heart rate, three minutes easy, four times through.
This is where PEAKVO2 pairs with a Fitbit: the app guides the intervals on iPhone and Apple Watch with your target zone for each phase, you train, and your Fitbit watches the Cardio Fitness Score climb. Follow the full 8-week VO2 max training plan to structure it.
Raise your Cardio Fitness Score with PEAKVO2
Guided Norwegian 4x4, Tabata, and 30/30 sessions on iPhone and Apple Watch, with your target heart rate zone each phase. Your Fitbit tracks the score; PEAKVO2 runs the training that moves it. Three workouts free.
Get PEAKVO2 freeFrequently Asked Questions
What is a good Fitbit Cardio Fitness Score?
It depends on your age and sex, because the score is a VO2 max estimate. For a man, a good score is roughly 46 or more at 20 to 29, 42 or more at 40 to 49, and 35 or more at 60 to 69 ml/kg/min. For a woman the thresholds are about 10 to 15 percent lower. Fitbit's Good and Excellent levels correspond to the upper bands of the charts for your age.
What is a good cardio fitness score by age?
Men need about 46+ (20-29), 44+ (30-39), 42+ (40-49), 39+ (50-59), and 35+ (60-69) ml/kg/min to reach the good band. Women need about 37+ (20-29), 36+ (30-39), 34+ (40-49), 32+ (50-59), and 29+ (60-69). Above those you are into excellent and superior territory.
What is the average cardio fitness score?
Average falls in the middle band for your age and sex: roughly 37 to 41 for men and 29 to 32 for women at 20 to 29, declining by about 10 percent per decade. Beating your age-group average is the step most strongly linked to lower mortality risk.
Is a cardio fitness score of 40 good?
For a man it is around average at 20 to 29, above average in your 30s and 40s, and good to excellent from 50 on. For a woman, 40 is good to excellent through your 30s and superior from your 40s. The same number means very different things at different ages, which is why the chart matters.
Why is my Fitbit Cardio Fitness Score a range instead of a number?
A range means Fitbit is estimating from your resting heart rate and profile only. Record at least one outdoor run with GPS, built in on Charge 6, Sense 2, Versa 4, and Pixel Watch, or via your phone for Inspire 3, Luxe, and the Fitbit Air, and the estimate narrows to a single, more reliable number.
How do I improve my Cardio Fitness Score?
Do two to three high-intensity interval sessions a week, such as the Norwegian 4x4, on a base of easy aerobic work. Most people raise their score by 5 to 15 percent in 8 to 12 weeks. The score also responds to cycling, rowing, and brisk incline walking, anything that improves cardiovascular fitness.
Keep Reading
- Fitbit VO2 Max: Where to Find It, How Accurate It Is, by Model
- VO2 Max by Age: Chart of Normative Scores and What's Good
- How to Improve Your Apple Watch Cardio Fitness Score
- Why Did My VO2 Max Drop?
- VO2 Max Training Plan: The Science of an 8-Week Program
References
- Helgerud J, Høydal K, Wang E, et al. Aerobic high-intensity intervals improve VO2max more than moderate training. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2007;39(4):665-671. PubMed
- Mandsager K, Harb S, Cremer P, et al. Association of cardiorespiratory fitness with long-term mortality. JAMA Netw Open. 2018;1(6):e183605. PubMed