🏃♂️ Bruce Protocol METs Calculator
Enter your total time on a standard Bruce treadmill protocol test to estimate your VO2 max and METs (metabolic equivalents).
What is the Bruce Protocol test?
The Bruce protocol is a widely used graded treadmill exercise test in which the treadmill’s speed and incline increase every three minutes until the person reaches voluntary exhaustion. The total time completed on the test is used to estimate cardiorespiratory fitness.
How this calculator works
This calculator applies the standard equation derived by Foster et al. for estimating VO2 max directly from total Bruce protocol treadmill time (T, in minutes): VO2 max = 14.8 − (1.379 × T) + (0.451 × T²) − (0.012 × T³), measured in milliliters of oxygen per kilogram of body weight per minute. METs (metabolic equivalents) are then found by dividing VO2 max by 3.5, the standard resting oxygen consumption reference value.
This equation is a population-based regression formula and gives an estimate, not a lab-measured value — true VO2 max can only be confirmed with direct gas-exchange analysis during exercise.
For general fitness tracking and educational purposes only, not medical or diagnostic advice.