Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
How to Set Up Cardio Fitness Levels in watchOS 7.2 and iOS 14.3
- Thread starter MacRumors
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
Does this cardio fitness only work with outdoor walks and runs? I only do home workouts and have already set up the cardio fitness in the health app but so far there is no data being displayed? When I check my health app under the tab “cardio fitness” it is blank. Even though I do daily home workouts.
39.8 // 56. and yes... mine dropped after 14.3 update. I was hoping Apple would use the watch's SP02 sensors to measure SP02 during workouts and incorporate actual blood oxygen levels to the V02 calc. My understanding is Apple's V02 are still simple algorithms tied closely to age, resting HR, and max HR. I've increased HRmax, and decreased HRmin but V02 hasn't budged in a yr. (still trying to reduce my age) ;-).
It was mentioned in the main post:
"Prior to watchOS 7.2, the Apple Watch was only able to estimate higher levels of VO2 max with outdoor walks, runs, or hikes, but now it can also take cardio fitness measurements as users walk throughout the day, allowing those who don't engage in vigorous exercise to see their cardio fitness levels."
From now on you should be able to see your VO2 max.
Thanks for the reply. I’ve only had my watch for about 3 weeks total. I have a 6 series & new to this
does having it for such a short time make a difference? Because the VO2 levels were never in my data, and now with this new feature (cardio fitness) the data for that is blank as well.I have a Series 3 GPS.
As with all WatchOS 7.x releases, installing this one was a pain, since the GPS version of Series 3 only has 4GB of memory and the update requires 2.7GB free. I ended up setting my watch up as a new watch (not restore from backup as had worked previously) then also disable all background refreshes, which finally allowed me to run the update to WatchOS 7.2. I don't think Apple intends us to be using Series 3 watches anymore, or at least not actually updating them.
Side note: I have it on good authority that I will have a new Series 6 watch to replace this one by the end of the month, so hopefully this is the last update I have to go through with it. Which is to say: well played, Apple; you win again!
In any case, with 7.2 installed, I am able to enable the Cardio Fitness Levels.
Have you keyed in your personal details as well (age, weight etc)?Thanks for the reply. I’ve only had my watch for about 3 weeks total. I have a 6 series & new to this
Any workouts you’ve done so far (I think) were indoors, so they didn’t count. Since the update, other activity will now be included in the VO2 max calculation, assuming you’ve followed the every step in the original post. How long this takes really depends on what activity you do.
Yes, I’ve inputed all of my personal details already. As well as enabled notifications for cardio fitness. I’ve done strength training and cardio/HIIT workouts all indoors today. Still no luck with getting any data for cardio fitness. I will try a short walk outdoors and see if that activates the cardio fitness/ VO2 readings.
I’m doubting the accuracy of these readings. I’m 27, and apparently have a VO2 Max of 38.2, well below average, and it’s trending downward. This is despite the fact I hike and cycle a lot (thousands of km a year) and have increased both of these significantly this year with more time off work.
Doesn’t sound right.
My AW readings are roughly the same as my Garmin + HRM recordings. I’m not sure I trust either to be accurate, but expect them to be in the right ball park. Given what you’re doing, unless your personal data settings are wrong or you do them at a slow pace, I’d agree that it sounds low.
Is your resting heart rate is low for your age? If so, then that may backup the theory that the VO2/Max reading is out. I’m not saying one is definitely linked to the other, just that they often go together.
My RHR is 53, and I’ve double checked that my height and weight are correct. Doesn’t make sense, does it!
Do you track those hikes and cycles as outdoor workouts in the Watch? What model do you have?
I do, using the stock Workouts app on my Series 4. I have the cellular model but 99% of the time I keep my phone with me when doing these activities.
I wonder if possibly pace during hikes is weighted heavily while elevation change isn't taken into account – I'm in Hong Kong so there is quite a lot of steep climbing and descending which on the way up obviously yields an elevated heart rate for relatively slow forward progress. I also use my mountain bike a lot on the road, so perhaps there is a similar issue in that obviously my speed is considerably slower than I would achieve on a road bike with the same exertion/heart rate; maybe it is just assuming that I'm really unfit and struggling to maintain speed on a road bike rather than the reality of the heavy inefficient bike!
This link covers it rather well...
https://www.cultofmac.com/610268/vo2-max-apple-watch-aerobic-fitness/
In short, it measures how long you can sustain high intensity exercise for. So if you 'go max' for 10 seconds, you will have a lower VO2 Max than an equivalent person who can go max for one minute.
As your max heart rate reduces with age, this also explains why VO2 Max changes with age.
