There is a general paucity of studies on exercise testing and performance among the various age groups of the Indian population with regard to obesity and cardiovascular fitness. Also such study is sorely lacking among the college students, who belong to the 'young ABSTRACT Background: Cardiovascular fitness has been found to be significantly compromised by obesity, whose prevalence is increasing rapidly. The present study aimed to assess the aerobic exercise performance in terms of maximum aerobic power (VO 2 max) of the male students of North Bengal medical college in the age range of 18-22 years. Methods: The subjects were divided into two groups viz. control (N=52) and study (N=43) on the basis of Body Mass Index (BMI) and Waist Circumference (WC), according to the current Indian guidelines for obesity. The VO 2 max was compared among the two groups. It was evaluated using the Bruce protocol, and also expressed in terms of 'Metabolic equivalents' (MET). Results: VO 2 max exhibited significant negative correlation with BMI (r=0.75, P <0.000) and WC (r=0.72, P <0.000). VO 2 max was higher for the normal group compared to the study group, and the mean difference was significantly different [P <0.05(0.000)]. Conclusion:The study thus showed that cardiovascular capacity is compromised by excess adiposity.