Background <p>Maximum oxygen consumption is a measure of an individual’s cardiorespiratory fitness which is a singular predictor of an array of diseases. Several exercise and non-exercise assessments are frequently compared to know which method(s) provide the most accurate estimation of aerobic capacity due to difficulties in using the direct method. There is a need to know if an estimation method is the right fit for a population without huge overestimation or underestimation due to ethnical variation. This study was undertaken to assess the estimations of the cardiorespiratory fitness of healthy African males by the submaximal exercise-based and the non-exercise-based equations in undergraduate students of the University of Ibadan, Nigeria.</p> Results <p>VO₂ was significantly higher in the undergraduate students of the University of Ibadan in all the equations used (44.38 ± 39.07, 62.46 ± 27.61, 44.38 ± 39.07, 62.46 ± 27.61, 46.37 ± 3.31, 46.16 ± 3.64, 47.08 ± 3.19). The two submaximal exercises compared using the Bland–Altman Plot showed a high degree of agreement, further linear regression performed showed no proportional bias on the distribution of data around the mean difference line (<i>p</i> &gt; 0.05). Cross-validation using the Bland–Altman plot and linear regression for the five non–exercise predicted equations with the YMCA submaximal exercise test and Bruce submaximal exercise test all showed a significance difference of (<i>P</i> &lt; 0.05) showed that data from all the methods provided proportional bias on the distribution of data around the mean difference line.</p> Conclusion <p>This study asserts that caution should be taken when using a non-exercise equation to predict VO₂ in the African population. It is therefore recommended to carry out various&#xa0;assessment methods of VO₂ estimation in a wider population using various protocols, and also develop a predictive equation for VO₂ specific to the African population.</p>