A VO2 max of 85 is the human ceiling, and a fit non-athlete sits in the 50s
In short
Cross-country skier Johannes Høsflot Klæbo last measured a VO2 max of around 85, which sits at the top of the human range. Men's Health Fitness Director Ebenezer Samuel, C.S.C.S., puts most of the world-class athletes at the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the 70s, and an average man who is respectably in shape but not a world-class athlete in the 50s. Klæbo himself says his goal is not to build a strong VO2 max but to win races.
The hard part about holding a VO2 max number is knowing where on the scale it sits. This interview is useful because it puts three points of that scale in one place — the ceiling, the world-class team-sport athlete, and the fit non-athlete.
The ceiling is around 85. That is the most recent measurement for Johannes Høsflot Klæbo, the most decorated cross-country skier in history. He set the record for six golds at a single Winter Olympics at Milan Cortina, and his career total of 11 Winter Olympic golds is the most any individual has won at those Games (Michael Phelps leads all Olympic golds with 23).
So who is in the 70s, and who is in the 50s?
The reference points come from Men's Health Fitness Director Ebenezer Samuel, C.S.C.S. Most of the world-class athletes who played at the 2026 FIFA World Cup sit in the 70s. And an average man who is not a world-stage athlete but is respectably in shape usually lands in the 50s.
What that layout reveals is how compressed the top of the scale is. From the fit non-athlete (50s) to the World Cup pitch (70s) is roughly 20 points; from there to the human ceiling (85) is another 15 or so. Each additional point costs sharply more as you climb. If your number is in the 50s, you are already mid-scale rather than at the bottom, and moving past 60 means changing the kind of training you do, not just doing more of it.
What does the man with 85 actually train for?
The most quotable line in the interview is not a number. Klæbo says his goal is not to build a strong VO2 max — it is to win races. The 85 is an outcome, not a target. He also describes modifying the well-known Norwegian method for his own use, and simulating skiing through the summer months.
The 70s and 50s figures here are a coach's ballpark reference points, not a measured dataset, and the 85 is a value reported in an interview rather than a published laboratory result. VO2 max varies with test protocol and equipment, so comparing numbers measured in different places to the decimal is meaningless. And VO2 max indexes endurance capacity — it does not predict strength or Big 3 numbers. Where aerobic work fits for a lifter is covered in Zone 2 cardio for lifters.
What this leaves for a lifter
The structure is identical to a strength score. Both VO2 max and a Muscle Index are scoreboards that compress performance into one number — neither is a training programme. Klæbo did not train to raise a score and ended up at 85; a Muscle Index rises the same way, as a consequence of the squat, bench and deadlift going up, not as something you aim at directly.
The practical rule is not to mix the two scales. Aerobic capacity and relative strength are separate axes, and being good on one does not drag the other along. If you have a VO2 max, keep it as its own line, keep what the Muscle Index calculator returns as a summary of Big 3 1RMs, and track them as two separate rows — the interpretation is far cleaner that way.
Frequently asked questions
How high is a VO2 max of 85?
It sits at the top of the human range. Around 85 was the most recent measurement for Johannes Høsflot Klæbo, the most decorated cross-country skier in history, and it is more than 10 points above world-class team-sport athletes.
What VO2 max do world-class footballers have?
According to Men's Health Fitness Director Ebenezer Samuel, most of the world-class athletes who played at the 2026 FIFA World Cup sit in the 70s — below the roughly 85 measured at the top of cross-country skiing.
What is a normal VO2 max for a fit person?
By the same reference, an average man who is respectably in shape but not a world-stage athlete usually lands in the 50s. That is mid-scale rather than the bottom of it.
Should you train to raise your VO2 max?
Klæbo, who measured around 85, says his goal is not to build a strong VO2 max but to win races. On that view VO2 max is an outcome of training rather than the object of it.
Does a high VO2 max mean you are strong?
No. VO2 max indexes aerobic capacity and sits on a different axis from relative strength or Big 3 1RMs. Measure and track the two separately for a cleaner reading of each.
Source: Men's Health