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.
I don’t understand vo2 max
- Thread starter Worlrl
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
Low VO2 max score (cardio fitness) on fitness tracker? Here’s what you should know
Seeing low VO2 max score on your Garmin, Fitbit or Apple Watch device? Learn more about VO2 max is calculated and what a low score may really mean.
www.myhealthyapple.com
AFAIK it only calculates on the AW if you walk or run ……. No other activities register
It’s an estimate…… no different to Garmin, Suunto etc ……. Many people calculate their estimated VO2 From a chart.
Yeah it is kinda weird....
I do 3 "walking" workouts per week, primarily to capture my pace trend. 2 Miles.
Previous WatchOS updates I can see the VO2max change as my avg heart rate and avg mile/min change.
But recent updates don't see to correlate those changes.
On cooler days I can walk a faster pace and my heart rate would be lower, yet VO2max is lower....
And sometimes my pace might be a bit slower, avg heart rate same yet VO2max is higher.
I've just started to ignore it now.
For me my goal is a faster 2 mile with lower heart rate
I do 3 "walking" workouts per week, primarily to capture my pace trend. 2 Miles.
Previous WatchOS updates I can see the VO2max change as my avg heart rate and avg mile/min change.
But recent updates don't see to correlate those changes.
On cooler days I can walk a faster pace and my heart rate would be lower, yet VO2max is lower....
And sometimes my pace might be a bit slower, avg heart rate same yet VO2max is higher.
I've just started to ignore it now.
For me my goal is a faster 2 mile with lower heart rate
I think it’s only useful in terms of tracking long term changes on the 6 months and 1 year graphs.
What was the exercise that was recorded? Apple indicate that it’s only outside walking or running
Re: ^^^This:
Might be getting credit via auto-detect even though not "recorded"?
Might be getting credit via auto-detect even though not "recorded"?
No matter when you tap, you’ll get all your workout credit from the time you started exercising.
How long it takes for your watch to alert you to record a workout varies by workout type. Here are the workouts that your watch can give you reminders for:
- Indoor Walk
- Outdoor Walk
- Indoor Run
- Outdoor Run
- Elliptical
- Rower
- Pool Swim
- Open Water Swim
Which watch do you have? On my Series 5 I've never got any VO2 estimates except from recorded exercise (outdoor walks).
Series 6.
It could be auto-detected as mentioned above. But not recorded as a workout; as I discard those.
On the AW, it’s very close to a random number. I’ve seen it go up, or down, 3 to 4 points in one workout. There are so many complications that it’s really hard,
Hence, it’s pretty unreliable.
- Heart Rate
- Distance
- Age
- Respiration (not sure if the AW has).
- Uphill or downhill.
- Wind
- Pavement or trail run
Hence, it’s pretty unreliable.
As I said before, I don’t think it’s completely useless, but only for long term trends.
Over the months my walking heart rate is generally coming down, but with massive variations because sometimes I feel like walking faster and sometimes slower.
The v02 shows a much smoother increase.
So as an actual v02 measurement it might be terrible for all I know, but as an idea of heart rate per speed then it’s useful to me. Well, maybe not useful but nice to see it go up.
Maybe it’s also relevant that I’m usually doing very similar walks each time.
Out of interest where are you seeing the number go up or down in a workout?
For a run or walk, I find looking at the route, heart rate, weather conditions and pace to be more informative about real improvement over time.
I perform a proper ECG with probes while cycling at the medical centre once a year. I’ve been logging my VO2 Max for years first with Garmin and now with Apple. My device’s estimate is usually spot on or one number off the medical one.
Longevity, consistency, regularity in your (cardio) training makes it easier for the estimate to be correct. I run around 20k every week, and I find my VO2 Max very stable.
Longevity, consistency, regularity in your (cardio) training makes it easier for the estimate to be correct. I run around 20k every week, and I find my VO2 Max very stable.
Thanks for the link @ukms.
I did spot the following line in Apple's developer documentation for HealthKit and VO2Max.
All these sources together, does appear that don't need a recorded Workout to get VO2 calculated, just need to have the watch on "with adequate GPS, heart rate signal quality, and exertion (an approximate increase of 30 percent of the range from resting heart rate to max)".
(aside: think I saw something about at least 5 minutes of activity somewhere, just don't recall where and if specific to an auto-detect type situation).
ADD: a link in the dev documentation led to this:
I did spot the following line in Apple's developer documentation for HealthKit and VO2Max.
All these sources together, does appear that don't need a recorded Workout to get VO2 calculated, just need to have the watch on "with adequate GPS, heart rate signal quality, and exertion (an approximate increase of 30 percent of the range from resting heart rate to max)".
ADD: a link in the dev documentation led to this:
I think the VO2m estimate definitely needs some work. Like the person above, I can walk the same trail twice and it can give me a substantially lower VO2m score even if my pace is faster, both average and maximum heart rate lower, and the outside temperature and humidity higher. It must be pulling in some additional data from outside the workout - that, or it's just broken. I can do a walking workout on a perfectly flat, paved surface, and the VO2m score from my watch will be a full 10 points lower than what you'd estimate from a pace/heart rate chart. I can accept a difference, but that much is ridiculous.
I can also get substantially different readings by doing a hiking workout vs walking. You'd think that for a hiking workout, the watch would add more weight to altitude changes or perhaps make an assumption that the terrain is more difficult in ways that the watch can't measure, but it seems to do the opposite. Hiking workouts will always give me a lower VO2m estimate, as well as fewer calories burned and fewer minutes of exercise - despite walking the same trail every day.
I can also get substantially different readings by doing a hiking workout vs walking. You'd think that for a hiking workout, the watch would add more weight to altitude changes or perhaps make an assumption that the terrain is more difficult in ways that the watch can't measure, but it seems to do the opposite. Hiking workouts will always give me a lower VO2m estimate, as well as fewer calories burned and fewer minutes of exercise - despite walking the same trail every day.