Reference values for maximum oxygen consumption (VO ₂ max) in Sri Lankan young population aged 20–25 years

BACKGROUND: max), is an important indicator of overall physical fitness and cardiovascular health. While VO₂max reference values exist for Western and Indian populations, Sri Lanka lacks specific data, which may lead to inaccuracies in assessing and interpreting cardiovascular fitness among young adults in the country. OBJECTIVES: max among young adults in Sri Lanka and to compare these values with the standards of Western, Indian and American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM). METHODOLOGY: max percentiles and to identify significant differences between Sri Lankan, Western, Indian and ACSM reference standards. RESULTS: max values for males and females, establishing performance ranging from 'very poor' to 'superior' according to the ACSM guidelines. CONCLUSION: max in Sri Lankan young adults, supporting more accurate cardiovascular fitness assessments in clinical and fitness settings. These findings reveal significant differences in aerobic capacity across Sri Lankan and Western populations, as well as similarities between Sri Lankan and Indian populations. This study should be further improved to represent the entire population across all age groups in Sri Lanka, thereby enabling the development of more accurate, separate reference standards.