VMA (maximal aerobic speed): the number behind your training paces

What VMA is (and what it's called in English)

VMA is the pace at which your aerobic engine reaches its ceiling: run slower and you're below VO2max, run faster and the extra speed comes from anaerobic sources you can only sustain for minutes. English-language coaching calls the same concept maximal aerobic speed (MAS) or vVO2max; Jack Daniels' VDOT tables encode a close cousin. French running culture made it the central number: club sessions, training plans and race predictions in France are routinely expressed as percentages of VMA. Its power is compression — one measurable number that scales an entire week of paces to your current fitness.

How to measure it: the 6-minute test

The simplest reliable field protocol is the 6-minute all-out test (demi-Cooper): after a thorough warm-up, run the greatest distance you can in exactly 6 minutes on flat ground, pacing it evenly rather than sprinting the first lap. VMA in km/h = distance in metres ÷ 100. Example: 1,560 m → 15.6 km/h. Track-based incremental tests (VAMEVAL-style) give a finer reading if a club runs them. You can also estimate VMA backwards from a recent honest race effort — a 5K or 10K time constrains it well. Whatever the method, retest in the same conditions: wind, heat and hills move the number more than fitness does week to week.

From VMA to training paces

The classic French frame, with ranges because level matters: easy running (endurance fondamentale) at 60–70% of VMA, marathon effort around 70–80%, threshold work at 80–90%, 10K effort near 85–90%, 5K near 90–95%, and interval sessions at 95–105% (the famous 30/30s sit here). Worked example at VMA 15 km/h: easy runs around 6:00–6:40 per km, intervals at 4:00 per km. Two cautions: the ranges are wide on purpose — a trained runner sits at the top of each band, a beginner at the bottom — and no percentage should override how the session actually feels.

Where the percentages break

VMA measures your ceiling, not your endurance. The fraction of VMA you can sustain for an hour varies enormously between runners with identical test results — it depends on training history, economy and experience. In practice, percentage tables mis-serve beginners most: their computed 'easy' pace often lands too fast, turning every easy run into a moderate effort and stalling progress. The honest fix is to anchor paces on what you actually run (and on trails, to switch units entirely — see pacing by elevation gain): your real easy pace, your real race results, your real heart-rate response — and use VMA percentages as the frame, not the verdict. That is how Coach Leo prescribes: your zones start from your synced history on Strava, Suunto or Polar, and a formula only fills the gaps until your data speaks.

Frequently asked questions